Different Beginnings
by ToolateforCAKE
Summary: What happens when a certain red-head and another perky pig-tailed girl get stuck in another region? SilverxLyra
1. Chapter 1

It was the first time they had walked together like this.

Typically, they didn't like each other much at all. In fact, the only reason Lyra saw him at all was because they kept bumping into each other. They had even attempted to steer clear of each other for a while, but it always came back to the same thing, and they met and battled every time. And Lyra always won.

Lyra had a crush on Silver since they had met, because, well, he was hot. Not much to say about the subject other than that. Over time, she came to dislike him more and more, and the feeling was left as only a tiny flame from a once strong fire.

At the moment, Silver walked along side her in this dark cave. The only light was from the faintly glowing walls, but even with that they could barely see their own hands in front of their faces. Not to mention their clothes were drenched in acidic water that burned the skin, and they hadn't eaten anything in hours.

So why were they traveling together like this if they hated each other? Survival, Lyra figured.

Suddenly, Silver stopped in his tracks. Lyra stopped too, wondering what expression was on his face right then. "What is it?"

"I think I see a light…" he said curiously.

Lyra stared forward at what Silver was (hopefully, it was hard to tell in this light) looking at. He was right; a little sliver of moonlight shone through an exit. They were almost there!

"Well, come on! Let's go! I'm huuuungry!" Lyra took off toward the exit as fast as she could.

Silver called after her, yelling: "You idiot! We have to stay together! Something might happen!"

The rival didn't hear. She continued running forward, new hope running through her bloodstream. Both of them were tired, cold and hungry, right? Why didn't Silver follow? She turned her head to see his scared face bathed in moonlight, and then she lost her foothold.

She was falling. Falling down, down into God knows where. Survival instincts kicked in, and she scrambled for some ledge, which she did find after what seemed like a lifetime of screams. That's all she could do though. Scream.

Silver caught up to her, his eyes as big as saucers. At first he was silent, and he only stared at her when she cried for his help. But as soon as his own instincts kicked in, the gears of his mind started turning furiously.

"Hand me your bag!" he yelled down to her.

Lyra obeyed, reaching for the bag hanging off her foot carefully. It had slid down her shoulder, and she just barely caught it on her shoe.

When Lyra's bag was handled and the Pokemon inside were safe, Silver called out his own Pokemon to help him. Out of red lights came his Golbat and his Typhlosion, who looked dazed.

Silver didn't give his Pokemon time to think. "Golbat, fly down there and be a platform for Lyra. Typhlosion, you help me pull her up. Go."

"I'm not that heavy you know!" yelled Lyra.

"Shut up and let us help you, you moron!" Silver snapped back. He grabbed her hands, and Typhlosion took position behind him to help his trainer pull him up. Meanwhile, Golbat flew down and let Lyra's feet rest on his head.

"On three!"

Lyra gasped. Something floated behind Silver and Typhlosion, but neither seemed to notice. Was it… was it really…?

"Two!" Lyra had missed 'one'. The thing floated behind Silver as it stared at her with big gold eyes. Images of letting go, falling, and being caught poured into her mind, and right then, Lyra wanted to do just that. And the Pokemon flying around Silver's head seemed to be urging her to…

"Three!"

At the same time they pulled, Lyra let go. Golbat collapsed as she fell onto him, but she didn't feel worried. She wouldn't die. The Pokemon would make sure of that.

Then, right before Silver's eyes, Lyra disappeared.

Lyra blinked. Was she dead…?

A pink Pokemon floated next to her. All she could see was whiteness and the pink thing.

At first she felt for her body, which was still intact. She sighed in relief. "Where am I?"

The pink Pokemon floated around her body in a jittery zig-zag motion. It seemed to giggle, even though there was no evidence of its mouth moving. Lyra, overcome by curiosity, reached out for it. She pet its head, which was very soft with tiny, refined hair. Then the name came to her.

"Mesprit, what's going on?" she asked the Pokemon.

Mesprit zig-zagged some more before resting on Lyra's arm. Its big, golden eyes looked alive with eagerness to play, and that was all Lyra needed to know.

"I can't stay here and play with you, Mesprit. I have to go back. How do I get back?"

Mesprit seemed to sigh in disappointment. With a wave of its twin tails, the whiteness disappeared. Lyra hovered just above the dark cave she just fell into. She could see her bag, Golbat, Typhlosion, and Silver. Looking… sad?

"What's going on down there? Why is Silver on his knees?" she asked no one in particular. Mesprit seemed to answer the question with another wave of its tails. The audio below became alive, causing Lyra to cover her ears in retaliation.

"…Why? She let go! After all that, she let go! Why did she do that? Is she suicidal? Doesn't she know people care about her? That she has a whole life left to live?" Silver's words echoed in Lyra's ears.

"DOESN'T SHE KNOW THAT I CARED? DAMN IT!"

As soon as those words were spoken, Mesprit uttered a sound. Everything came rushing toward Lyra in a flurry, whilst she screamed on the way down to the floor.

Silver looked up, saw her crashing down from the ceiling, and froze in place. "…Lyra?" Of course, had he moved, he would have been able to move out of the way, or at least caught her.

But at least Lyra got a cushion, even if in the form of a 14-year-old boy.

Lyra's Meganium had something against Silver, and not just Silver, but Silver's Typhlosion. They considered the other a threat to their trainer. Even if they wouldn't admit it, they had at least one thing in common. They were protective of their trainers, and saw all others as a threat to them.

So when Meganium carried an unconscious Lyra on her back, it was hard for her not to turn around and bark at Silver and Typhlosion. It wasn't really their fault really, but Meganium had no one else to blame, and she was stubborn.

Just like her trainer, Silver thought.

He was smart and kept his distance from the grass-typed Pokemon, so therefore, Typhlosion kept his distance. His loyalty to his human reigned over his rivalry with Meganium.

A shriek from ahead told Silver that it was safe to go on. Golbat came rushing back to his human after the call. Silver continued moving until they were at the exit.

But when they got there, it was colder than the ice caves back in Johto.

Silver was okay because of his jacket, but Lyra… He took the jacket off and covered Lyra with it. "I'll take it from here, Meganium," he whispered. Meganium nodded, and Silver returned her to her Pokeball. He did the same for Typhlosion.

The moon was high in the sky, illuminating a lake surrounding the cave they had just emerged from. Silver surveyed all of his surroundings, shivering all the time.

"Golbat can't carry us both…" Silver thought aloud. But what about Lyra's Pokemon…?

He set Lyra down against the cave entrance, and took her bag off his shoulder. Ugh, he felt like a girl for carrying the thing, but Golbat might have dropped it, Typhlosion wouldn't do it, and Meganium was holding Lyra. Inside, he found a purple Pokeball.

The Pokemon inside this Pokeball has got to be huge, thought Silver. Big enough to get them to safety…?

Silver threw the ball up high, and out of the light came a magnificent beast. Lugia caught its Master Ball in its mouth descending down from the sky, and perched on top of the cave. It stared down at Silver curiously, not saying anything.

Since when did Lyra have a Lugia?


	2. Chapter 2

"So, we still don't know the cause of the earthquake? Or do we have some leads?" Lance asked. His Dragonite stood firmly next to him, looking seriously at the police officer in front of him.

"All we know is that there were some minors in here at the time, and they fell down this hole. Inside of it is an underground river. All we found is this," the officer replied, handing over a sheet of damp paper.

Lance scanned the paper. It was a picture of three strange looking Pokemon in a triangular position. The wrinkles told you that it had been looked over countless times, and the messiness of the tear told you it was from a book.

"A torn out book page?" Lance inquired.

A researcher, who had been studying the hole to the river, padded over to the two men. "The Pokemon on the page isn't like any you could find in the Johto region. However, there is a professor in New Bark town right now from a region up north. He's supposed to be leaving soon, though," she said.

"New Bark Town…" Lance tried to recall where he knew that name. It was the hometown of someone he knew, but couldn't remember at the moment. His mind was working too fast. "Down south, right?"

"Yes, sir," the researcher nodded. "He, Professor Elm, and Professor Oak got together to exchange notes. There was supposed to be two other Professors there, but one's region is having weird weather, so his ship was canceled until the weather cleared up. The other is studying in a mountain and cannot stray away from her work right now, as much as she would like to."

"How do you know all this?" Karen strutted up to the researcher and the officer. She flipped her long silver hair back behind her, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, I am his, um, apprentice, you could say," she murmured, turning pink. Oh yes, she was intimidated by both of these Trainers. One of them was a member of the Elite Four, and the other was the Champion. Both of them together were so awfully strong.

"Hm," both said simultaneously. Lance could hear the faint crashing of waves in the hole under Victory Road. It was the only reason they were here in the first place - the earthquake had shaken the Elite Four Tower so violently, everyone at the Tower came outside in inquiry.

"We're going to have to tell Trainers that Victory Road is closed for a while," Karen said thoughtfully. She turned to Lance. "We could get Oak to broadcast it. That would give you a chance to see about that paper you're holding. I know you want to find out whose it is. You've got that look, Lance." Karen grinned.

Lance did indeed have 'that look'. "Yeah. I'll talk to him about it. Dragonite and I can go there now…"

"Go right ahead!" the officer chipped in. "Any information on who was unfortunate enough to fall in will help!"

Lance showed traces of a faint smile of thanks, glancing at Karen. "Be back later."

Dragonite looked up at his trainer, who ran outside the cave. Dragonite knew what to do. He spread his wings and started flapping as well. Dragonite flew ahead of Lance, and Lance jumped on Dragonite's back. They were airborne in seconds.

* * *

"Lance, my boy! Good to see you!" Oak grinned when Lance walked into Professor Elm's lab. Lance nodded, smiling lightly. "What brings you here to us old people?"

Another Professor in the corner chuckled. Lance gazed at the man curiously, saying, "Well, I found something interesting, and I wanted to talk to you about it."

The man, after taking notice, chuckled again. "What would that be?"

Lance handed the paper to the older man. After the long flight, most of it was dry. The other two Professors looked as well. The man frowned.

"This is that page of my book that was stolen. How did you get this?"

Lance shrugged. "There was an earthquake on Victory Road, and the floor caved in. Some kids were around at the time and fell in. We don't even know if they're alive, but we were wondering if you knew anything about this piece of paper that was found at the scene. Your assistant told me to come to you, Professor…"

"Rowan. My name is Professor Rowan." Professor Rowan was stunned by the piece of paper. "This picture is of the legendary Pokemon Mesprit, Uxie and Azelf. They are native to my region, Sinnoh. They are known as the Lake Guardians. I showed a couple of kids that were interested, and then I found this page of my book missing the next day. I suspected one of them stole it."

"Wait; there was an earthquake on Victory Road?" Oak questioned. "When?"

"Just yesterday. We've been trying to keep it quiet so no one would panic." Lance replied. " We of the Elite Four came to ask you a favor, Professor Oak…"

"And that is?"

"Could you and Mary possibly mention on your next broadcast that Victory Road is closed?"

Professor Oak smiled, nodding. "Of course my boy. Now, did you say that there were some children at the scene of the cave-in?"

"Yes. That's all we know, plus that page of Professor Rowan's book. It must have been left behind by one of the kids."

"Rowan, who was it that came in yesterday?" Elm piped up. He was getting excited quickly, because he already had a good guess as to who they were.

"Well, it was a girl and a boy, both maybe 12 or 13 years old. The girl had come in for a Pokedex examination, but Oak was not here at the time. Elm, I don't know where you were, but it was just I alone in the laboratory. She noticed and became interested in my book, so I let her look through it. That's around the time that I noticed there was the strange boy lingering near the door. So I called him in, and they both looked through it. The girl was kind, but the boy was rough and harsh. I remember their hairstyles, of all things. The girl was wearing an over-sized hat with pigtails and the boy had long red hair… I don't recall their names, though…"

"Lyra and Silver! They are the kids that fell down the hole!" Lance and Elm cried at the same time.


	3. Chapter 3

It took Silver a while to get the Lugia to trust him, especially since Lyra was in his arms unconscious. What Silver didn't know is that making noises and strange arm-motions were not going to help him. Lugia understood human speech.

When Lugia finally did trust Silver enough to let him come close, the next issue at hand was Silver's fear. He would never admit it, but he was deathly afraid of heights, or even just birds. It was the reason he had no bird-typed Pokemon.

Anything with wings (with the exception of his Golbat) scared him to the point of hiding somewhere, even if that meant curled up in a ball and burying his face in his knees. He hated the fact he was so afraid, because he was supposed to be all-powerful.

People like Lyra were supposed to be the weaklings, not him.

At first, his fear took over his body. He would not get on that Lugia. But just glancing at Lyra and her pale, injured body was enough.

"Lugia," Silver started. Lugia lowered its long neck to become eye-level with him. "I want you to take me and Lyra to the nearest Pokemon Center, if you can find one."

Silver stood up, and Lugia gave a small cry of acknowledgement. "Try going north, or north east. And… please try to get there quickly. Lyra is hurt…"

Lugia just nodded. It lowered its body to where he could get on. The beast picked up Lyra's limp body with its head, and she went sliding down to Silver on its long neck. Silver carefully caught her and secured her to him.

And without a second thought, Lugia took off.

Lugia had been flying for almost an hour when Silver could feel hypothermia setting in. It took him less than a minute to recognize it. His fingers were shaking, he couldn't feel his toes… and no matter how much he brought Lyra even closer to his body to warm himself, nothing helped.

"So now two of us need to be hospitalized," Silver said. Lugia cried out at the statement, and lost his focus for one split second.

But it was still enough for both of the trainers to go flying off at incredible speeds.

At first, Silver couldn't understand what was happening. It was like every single breath he had ever taken, was going to take, and had made at that exact moment was knocked out of him. He couldn't see; the world was moving too fast.

He was going to die…

"Dragonite!"

A Pokeball flew out of and a Dragonite burst out of a blinding red light. Silver couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Dragonite, with speeds faster than sounds, dashed to catch both Lyra and the bewildered rival. Silver heard Lugia cry out in confusion. The Dragonite returned the call.

They were on the ground in seconds. The dragon-typed Pokemon set them both of them down carefully, and then she flew back up into the air with a Pokeball after rummaging through Lyra's bag. She actually recalled Lugia, flew back down, and recalled herself.

Silver was literally frozen. Lyra shifted to where she could see his face and touched his forehead. "Silver, you're sick," she whispered.

"Yeah. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now. Why are you so cold? Where are we?"

"I have no idea." Silver shivered. He really was cold. "Have you always been that pretty?"

Lyra sat up, blinked, and then looked back down at him with a pink face. "Uh, Silver, I think you're sick. We need to get to a Pokemon Center…"

Silver giggled (something that scarred Lyra for life). "Ooookay, pretty girl." And then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"Crap," Lyra cursed. Her mind buzzed, the gears in her head turning madly to think of a plan…

"Well, we are in an unknown region…" she mused, "And according to the wind, the ocean is that way." She pointed to the west. She could tell from the chill coming from it. "So we should go North or Northeast…"

She attempted to stand and walk over to her bag, but fell onto Silver in the process. Her leg hurt like hell. "Crap again! Stupid leg!"

So Lyra dragged herself over to her bag and the two Pokeballs. She eyed the purple one. "Lugia? So we were traveling by air?" She sighed. Lugia had trouble keeping focus, so she didn't usually fly by it. Dragonite was her flyer. "Well, he didn't know."

She glanced at the other Pokeball. "Thanks, Dragonite, but I'm going to need your assistance again." Lyra clicked the button, and the Pokeball burst open with red light, like it usually did. Dragonite appeared sitting across from Lyra, staring at her with big, sad eyes.

"Dragonite, I need you to carry me and Silver northeast. Can you fly up first to see if there really is a town that way?"

The Pokemon nodded. Lyra watched her wings expand and propel her off the ground. She remembered when she caught her Dragonite. She was only a baby Dratini then…

Dragonite came back down a few minutes later. She nodded at Lyra again, which made her trainer feel relieved. It was her only hope.

The Pokemon positioned Lyra and Silver in one of her arms. It was a tight fit (and an awkward one at that) but the good thing was is that it kept them warm and safe.

Just as Dragonite was about to take off, Lyra held up her hand. "Hold on…"

She had to think before the wind exploded in her ears. Both of them needed to be hospitalized…Silver with his sickness and she with a sprained leg. What had she done to get a sprained leg? She couldn't remember anything besides…

"Mesprit!" She said suddenly. Lyra reached for her bag and rummaged through it, but couldn't find the paper. "Dang it! Did I drop it in the cave?"

Silver shifted to show his face, a misplaced goofy grin on his lips. It was a bit disturbing to Lyra…

"Forget it. Dragonite, go!"

And she took off.


	4. Chapter 4

Silver awoke from his sleep as a patient, and became very confused. He couldn't see over a lump of electric blankets piled onto him, which would explain the heat. But he wanted to know where Lyra was, considering she was his responsibility, and the guilt would eat away at him if she wasn't-

"Hey, you're awake." A cheerful voice cut in. A nurse walked into view and pulled some of the blankets down. "I'm glad you are, too. You were developing a serious case of hypothermia."

Silver just grunted. He knew this. "Where's Lyra?"

"Your girlfriend? Oh, she's over there." The nurse padded over to a white curtain and pulled it back just a bit. Silver relaxed when he saw Lyra's body facing him. She was asleep, but that was good enough.

"I'm sorry to say that I don't want either of you moving for a day or two. She should wake up soon, though. You want some lunch?"

Lunch? Last time he checked it was nighttime… "Uh, sure. And she's not my girlfriend. When did we come in last night?"

The nurse smiled. "That girl over there has a Dragonite that was gracious enough to carry the both of you here to this Pokemon Center late last night, maybe around 4:00 AM. I wasn't on duty then, but my friend was. She said you two looked so pitiful."

Silver refrained from cursing at the woman for saying that he was pitiful. "Alright. And, um, thank you, for caring for us."

The woman nodded with a big grin, and walked out of the room. Then her head popped back into the room once more. "What do you want to eat?"

Silver blinked. What could he get that Lyra liked too? She was going to wake up soon, but he didn't know anything she liked to eat… "Maybe a sandwich?"

She nodded. "Any requests?"

Suddenly, Lyra arose from her blankets. Her eyes fluttered, as if she couldn't see anything "I want ham and cheese with mayo and mustard if you have it, please and thank you…" Her head nodded. "And I would like something with caffeine in it. That sedative is getting to me…"

The nurse smiled. "Good morning, sunshine. Good to see you awake. And what do you want, hon?" She gestured to Silver. He just shrugged. "Same."

When the nurse left, Lyra slid off the bed. Silver watched her crawl a small distance before her IV caught up to her, stopping her from moving any further.

"Damn… it… Silver, com'ere." Her voice was slurred and dazed, so Silver slid off the bed and crawled over to her as far as his own IV would let him. They came face to face, but were still about a foot away from each other.

"Why weren't you given… drugs…?" She whispered. Silver noticed that while she was still wearing her long socks, her hat and pigtails were gone.

"I don't know," he answered sincerely, "but I think you should get back in your bed before she comes back."

Lyra, still having trouble moving, gave him a look that made it hard to repress laughter. Silver turned around and began to crawl back to his bed, but his rival's tiny hand caught his shoulder.

"Silver..." He spun back around to see her face, which was flushed of color. Her eyes seemed blurry. Wow, she looked like she was drunk. Huh. "Thank you."

Suddenly, Silver was attacked with a hug.

It wasn't much, considering Lyra just swung her arms around and basically fell on him, but it was still an embrace nonetheless, and it made Silver blush furiously. She stayed there for a few seconds, and then he took her wrists off of his body and pointed her to her bed. She smiled when Silver hid his face.

They crawled back to their beds well before the nurse came back with sandwiches. And even after sandwiches, they didn't see anything but each other and that room's walls until that evening.

Lyra, of course, was the first to complain. "Where's our Pokemon?" she asked the nurse, who kindly told her "Down the hall, Do you want me to bring them to you?"

"Yes," Silver cut in. He was propped up against the wall with pillows with his arms crossed against his chest. His face was a scowl, but you really couldn't take him seriously in that hospital gown, which is why Lyra couldn't help but giggle quietly.

The nurse came back after a moment with twelve Pokeballs, six in each hand. Both of the trainers seemed to relax at the mere sight of them.

The woman then went over to each of their IV's and disconnected them, sealing the holes with gauze from the counter. "You guys did exceptionally well. I'm surprised I can even take out your IVs now. You can go tomorrow morning."

With a smile and a nod, she left. Immediately, both of the trainers released their Pokemon (with the exception of Lugia, Dragonite and Gyarados).

Lyra awoke very early the next morning due to a rustling sound at the end of her bed. Her eyes snapped open at the sight of golden rings scratching at the door… Her Umbreon!

"Umbreon!" she hissed quietly across the room. He looked up and acknowledged her presence, but continued scratching at the door.

"Do you need to go outside or something?" Lyra began sliding out of bed, taking the blanket with her. It really was cold, and this stupid gown wasn't helping… So she opened the door, and Umbreon darted out to God-knows-where.

She sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

The hospital was absolutely silent. You could hear the wind blowing outside it was so quiet. So, when a hand came down on her shoulder suddenly, Lyra nearly peed herself.

"Lyra, shut it! Do you want to wake everyone up?" Silver whispered. Lyra just stared at him with a shocked expression. She could barely breathe.

Silver sighed. "C'mon. I want to show you something."

So Silver grabbed her wrist and led her around. He didn't exactly know where he was going, but he was sure that he would know it when he found it… "Lyra, stop making me drag you. You think I'm going to hurt you or something?"

Lyra didn't say anything, but she stopped making him drag her.

Silver turned one more corridor and found a door at the end of the hall. "There it is."

They walked outside together up to the roof and into the chilly wind, to which Silver almost immediately started shivering. He sat down at the edge, sitting Indian-style. He patted the spot next to him, and Lyra joined him. She was more than willing to share her blanket, and even snuggled up to get even warmer.

They sat there for a few moments in silence, which both seemed to appreciate. Then, Lyra asked: "Why are we up here? There's nothing to see – it's still dark out."

Silver smiled – a rare gesture. He just nodded toward the east, and Lyra turned her head.

The Earth seemed to creep back into existence as light flooded back over the trees and buildings. The morning dew of the flowers out front sparkled, and the wind seemed to become excited as the sun painted the land with its luminosity, causing the breeze to make them shiver and huddle closer together.

"Wow… I wish I had a camera or something. It's so beautiful." Lyra whispered.

"Yep," Silver sighed. "It sure is."


	5. Chapter 5

"So it doesn't hurt, right?" Silver asked about an hour after leaving that town. They had discovered that it was called Florama. Now they were heading north.

"No. It doesn't hurt. I told you, that nurse healed me up," Lyra sighed. She wished she would stop asking. Meganium, who had been walking behind her, placed her head on Lyra's shoulder. For comfort, mainly. Meganium knew Lyra was getting irritated.

"Fine. Someone told me that if you go north, you get to a forest. We have to go through there to get to Eterna City." Silver crossed his arms. His Typhlosion was walking next to him. Silver and Lyra only had out their starters right then because, well, they were their strongest Pokemon and they had no idea what the Pokemon of this region were. Or how powerful they could be.

They walked together for a while, occasionally battling trainers that passed. Not much was said between the two. But then they came to the entrance of Eterna Forest.

The air was tense. They were both so incredibly nervous, even if neither would show it. Lyra took a deep breath.

"This can't be any harder than our own Ilex Forest, right?"

Silver merely nodded. His face was pale. "Let's go."

Both trainers walked forward, closer together than usual. Comfort was essential.

"All we have seen are bug Pokemon. Sorta like back home. And there are so many trainers!" Lyra exclaimed. Silver and Lyra had calmed a bit, due to the fact that their Pokemon seemed so much more powerful then these wild Pokemon. Let alone the trainers. All the trainers in this forest seemed to line up to where Silver and Lyra had to tag battle. Not that they cared much; they took out everyone with Meganium and Typhlosion alone.

It was when they came across a mysterious girl that they had to stop and think.

Silver stopped, but evidently Lyra did not hear the tiny 'hi' that came from a bush behind them. She continued walking without noticing her rival wasn't present.

"Hello?" he called back.

The forest was silent. Something moved at the corner of Silver's eye. He turned around quickly to see a girl standing there, and it was not Lyra. She stared up at him with big, bronze eyes.

"Um, hi…" he stuttered. The girl was wearing a sweater and a short skirt. A grey-purple hat with ears rested on her head. The girl glanced behind the rival, suddenly gasping and shoving Silver into a bush. She jumped down with him.

"What the hell?" he yelled. The girl was quiet, placing her hand over his mouth to silence him.

As soon as all was quiet, a trainer passed. He looked around, and then walked on.

"Silver!" Lyra called. She had just noticed he was gone and was coming back for him, her Meganium following suit. Silver's Typhlosion had been recalled a while ago when it almost killed another Trainer's Pokemon. Not fun.

The trainer seemed surprised at the girl coming toward him, but quickly smoothed his hair back and smirked. Lyra stopped in front of the boy, looking around awkwardly. "I'm looking for someone-"

"Well you found him," he grinned, leaning forward.

Silver's eyes widened in shock as he watched this scene from his hiding spot in the bush. He tried to get up, but the girl held him back_. Don't_, she hissed.

Lyra narrowed her eyes. "He's got red hair, pale skin, scowl on his face?"

"Nope. But why would you need him with me here?" he crossed his arms with a smug look on his face.

Silver tried harder to get up, but still failed. His entire body wanted to race over to Lyra's aid and tell the guy to piss off. This girl holding him hostage was stronger than he was, however, even if she was his age, and held him firmly down. _Was_ she his age?

Lyra sighed. "Fine. What did you want, anyway?"

"Well… considering the time… a date with a certain someone in front of me."

Silver broke free. The girl shrank down into the bush, trying to hide her face.

"Hey, moron. Go away," he stood defensively in front of Lyra.

The boy laughed. "I'm guessing you're the guy she was looking for. Why should I?" The boy shoved Silver out if the way to see Lyra again. She was just watching the scene with eyes wide.

Silver spun the boy around in time to see the pissed trainer punch his nose. The boy staggered back, his face red with fury. He stood, about to throw a blow himself, when the girl came out of her hiding place and came in between them.

"Barry, are you freakin serious? Do you have to hit on _every damn girl_ you see?"

Lyra, who had found her voice again, stormed up to the boys. She glared at both. Silver's face was on default: A scowl. Barry, however, was trying to hit Silver back. It was amusing to watch, as his hits were fueled by the hyper-ness of the boy.

"If you are both going to fight over her, then why not battle? Instead of harming each other?" the girl huffed with authority.

"Fine," they said simultaneously, shooting glares at each other.

Lyra and the girl sat in the grass together. Both the boys stood at one end of the 'field'. Barry called out a small Pokemon, unlike any other Pokemon either of the Johto trainers had ever seen before. It looked like a bird, but its wings were too straight. Like a… penguin. A blue penguin.

Silver took the expression of triumph, yet the battle had yet to even start. He called out his Kadabra, commanding it smoothly to use Psybeam.

The penguin fainted quickly, and Barry blinked in surprise. He called out another Pokemon, one that looked like a rosebud with roses for hands. Silver showed no signs of caring, and another Psybeam took it out.

Barry's third Pokemon was a Ponyta (which made both Lyra and Silver sigh in relief at something recognizable) and it was taken out as quickly as the others. The last Pokemon was a bird Pokemon of some kind. It looked frail and clumsy. Silver took out Barry's final Pokemon without much difficulty. He showed no sympathy when Barry's face drained of all color.

Lyra admired Silver's battling senses. She really did. But the way he treated his Pokemon was almost… cruel. Barry started stomping up and down in his spot.

"But I never lose to anyone but Lolly!" he cried. Silver shook his head at the boy.

Lyra turned to the girl, but she was gone. Silver glanced over at Lyra, as if to show her that he was a good trainer, and he saw, too, that the girl was gone. As if she never existed…


	6. Chapter 6

"Lolly! Where did you go!" Barry called out. Silver and Lyra were bewildered. How had she moved so quickly?

Truthfully, Lolly did not like to draw attention to herself. She sat in a tree watching the scene below. The red-haired boy walked over to the girl and helped her up. She saw how carefully he did this, as if he did not want to break her. The girl herself looked pretty tough, yet, she thanked the boy kindly. It was rare that you saw a person like that.

That boy was head over heels in love with the girl, even if she (or maybe even he) did not realize it. The girl seemed to be oblivious. It was sad.

Lolly grinned from her tree. It wouldn't hurt to make things go a little faster, would it?

"…Will you please help me find her? Find Lolly?" Barry asked, face down. He was so embarrassed. And he really liked the girl-Lyra. But that pale boy didn't look like he was giving her up anytime soon. He stood next to her protectively. Lyra failed to notice.

Lyra, even if annoyed by this boy, sighed, nodding her head. Barry seemed excited. Silver did not.

"Do we have to help this _weakling_?" Silver rolled his eyes. Lyra shot him a look saying: _Shut up. It's the least you could do for _destroying_ his ego and pride._

"Well, first we should get out of here," Lyra suggested. "All our Pokemon need healing."

Lolly had no trouble sneaking around the trio. The issue at hand was that Lolly had no idea how she was going to keep moving. Sure, she was sort of flexible: But she couldn't just jump trees. She wasn't an Aipom. So, to solve the problem, Lolly called out Ian, quickly silencing him. She quietly told the Togetic the matter at hand, and what she wanted him to do.

Sitting in the safety of a tree, Lolly watched as Ian flew down to the trio of trainers. Lolly braced herself to resist the oncoming giggles.

"What the- A Togetic?" Lyra stopped suddenly, staring down at the white Pokemon. It wasn't unlike her own-Back at home. A quick shot of home-sickness burned her throat.

The Togetic started running around the trainers, quickly taking flight. It became only a blur of white in their vision. It herded Silver, Lyra and Barry into a circle. Then there were two Togetic. Then three!

"It's using Double Team!" Silver shouted as more Togetic appeared. The trio tried to escape, but the Togetic would not let them move. Then all of a sudden, one of the Togetic nipped Lyra's bad leg, causing her to fall over. And that cause a chain reaction, causing Lyra to fall on Silver, Silver to fall on the ground, and Barry to (nearly) fall on the real Togetic. The Pokémon fled before it got squished.

"What the-" Silver began, but immediately relaxed when he saw Lyra on his chest. She was okay. However, his face was hot with rage at that Togetic and… something else.

Lyra was still. Her leg hurt. It burned like hell. Not unlike her cheeks. She attempted to scramble off of her rival, but Silver held her down in an embrace.

Silver indeed had hugged her, swiftly whispering in her ear if she was okay. He had felt a…shock, or something, run through his body from his rival's. Lyra stared up at him and nodded briskly. Barry, who had stood up by this point, smirked at the scene. "Well well," he joked, offering his hand to Lyra. She took it thankfully, backing away from Silver awkwardly.

Silver stood without assistance, his throat burning with the words he wanted to say to Barry. They consisted of a few curses and the words _Back off_. He satisfied himself with a glare. Barry grinned when Lyra wasn't looking.

The Togetic was nowhere to be found. The forest was quiet once again, with the exception of the eerie echo of faint laughter. As if the forest itself were laughing at the scene…

Lolly had failed at her mission to resist giggling. Her Togetic had returned to her and was now resting on her hat. She didn't really mind that much; she was too proud of Ian right then. She climbed down the tree and continued to follow the coup- Silver, Lyra and Barry.

Lyra was limping. Her leg, which had been stiff even before, was extremely difficult to walk on now. She leaned on Silver for support. He didn't seem to mind too much. Barry did, however, and was constantly making attempts to be noticed. Like, asking if she wanted him to hold her bag, or if she wanted to use him for support instead. Lyra politely refused. Silver continued shooting Barry dark looks.

Eventually, a mansion of some sort appeared into view. Barry became noticeably brighter at the sight. "We're near the exit," he announced happily.

Silver stared up at the dark-painted house. It was already nearing the end of the day; the sun was coming close to the trees and the sky was visibly darker. "How long have we been walking?" he asked.

"Apparently all day," Lyra replied. She too gazed up at the large house, a shiver coursing through her body. She moved closer to Silver.

"Lolly might be inside… You guys wanna go in there?" Barry asked, a grin stretching from ear to ear on his boyish face.

Silver stood up to the challenge immediately. "Yes," he said. Lyra stared at him blankly. _Are you kidding?_ she thought. That place looked like it was inhabited by nothing but ghost-typed Pokémon… Silver's Haunter was the only ghost type she could handle. But Haunter was such a sweetie, so he didn't count. She hid her fear well, however, nodding her head hastily when the boys inquired as if she wanted to go in.

Lolly was amazed. It's like God wanted her to push them together. _A haunted freaking mansion. Really?_ And Barry knew that the place was bypass-able, too. He just wanted to show Lyra he was brave. Or maybe he was just insane. Perhaps it was both.

Lolly took the back entrance to the deserted house, her Ampharos leading the way.


	7. Chapter 7

Lyra gulped. _Why was she in here?_ To prove she wasn't a coward, and she did not want to be left behind in a dark forest. _Which one was worse?_ Being alone in the dark in a forest - that she was sure of. She had Silver and Barry while she was in here. _Where was here?_ She had no clue. She only knew that her comfort was standing right beside her, and it was in the shape of a boy with dark eyes.

Barry grinned. He was on a roll with the jokes. Lyra seemed so nervous. _She must not like it in here_, he thought. So he made her laugh to comfort her. He really did try. He tried to be up somewhere where Silver was. Barry knew Lyra saw Silver as a great friend, maybe even something more. Silver was in love with her. Simple as that.

It wasn't hard for Silver to like her, either. Her big, chocolate brown eyes that complimented her slender face and pale skin were hard _not_ to like. Lyra had it all. A great personality, caring for her Pokemon, and she was cute. But, she also had a hurt leg, a freaking bodyguard (or he might as well be, due to the looks Silver shot at him that Barry easily ignored) and she knew something. Whatever it was, it was on her mind, and no matter how much Barry made her laugh, it was still there. So he kept trying, despite the fact that Silver seemed to be even closer to her now. Protective little jerk.

Silver twitched. He had no fear for this place. He had no fear for outside, either. He only feared Barry was going to try and mess with her again. He had been flirting with Lyra since they had got in here. The part that infuriated him, though, was that Lyra was responding. Maybe not in the correct way, but she was still being the kind, funny female he knew too well. As soon as they got out of here, they were going to Eterna and ditching the boy.

But what if Lyra wanted him to come with them? Then there would be an issue, and Silver would have no control over it. He hated not having control over something. His view would go out of whack, and he would not enjoy it. Not _one_ bit. Like right then, Lyra was laughing at something stupid Barry had just said. Whatever it was, it was just stupid. Barry was stupid. Silver did _not_ like him.

Not _one freaking bit._

Lolly sat upon a chandelier, dangling idly from the base. She saw Barry… then Lyra, who was giggling at something Barry said, and then Silver right next to her, looking pissed. He was so protective. It was a miracle he hadn't kicked Barry out or ditched him yet. She had no doubt he would when they finally got to Eterna.

Kelly sat next to Lolly, her red tail glowing faintly. If Kelly was such at ease right then and she wasn't at focus, her tail and the gem on her forehead would be shining so brightly, their location would be given away instantly. Lolly scratched Kelly under her chin quietly, offering a small smile to her Ampharos as encouragement for what she was doing right then.

A lone Ghastly floated up to Kelly and lingered. Following that Ghastly, 3 more of its kind and 2 Haunter appeared. Lolly resisted the urge to reach out and see if her hand would phase right through their bodies.

When Kelly relaxed, the ghost-typed Pokemon snapped out of their trance and floated away. Upon seeing the humans below them, however, they instantly flew down, becoming invisible. Lolly grinned, sitting silently on the chandelier as she watched the result of her Ampharos's magnet.

As soon as the air turned colder, Silver knew they were surrounded by ghosts. He had been in a similar situation when he obtained his own Haunter. He continued appearing calm, though, to not alarm the other two trainers with him. He only turned to tell Lyra what was there when… Lyra had moved a little closer to Barry, who was wearing a fleece jacket, and he wrapped it around her shoulders.

Silver's face drained of all color. His jealousy was eating at him like a hungry Sharpedo. He wanted Barry gone. His rage got the best of him when he stormed over to Barry and glared at him with the coldest of glares. His hands twitched with the fist he was preparing if needed. Silver hated this boy with his entire mind, heart, and soul, and hatred fueled his words as he yelled: "GET YOUR FREAKING HANDS OFF OF HER YOU STUPID _**WEAKLING**_!"

Lyra stared up at her rival. His eyes frightened her to the point of backing away. Barry had only noticed that the air had gotten colder and let her have his jacket. That was it. But Silver saw it as something else…

Lolly watched as Lyra ran from the scene, Barry and Silver gaping after her. The ghost type Pokemon, drawn to Lyra's good aura, followed. Lolly was devastated. She jumped down from the chandelier, Kelly following suit. She glared at both of the boys, who were bewildered at her sudden appearance.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me! You IDOT!" she yelled. She wasn't sure who she was talking to. She ran after Lyra into the upper floor.

Lyra was so scared, and hated herself immensely for showing her fear. She was scared of the ghosts, she was scared of being alone, but most of all, she was scared of Silver. What had come over him? He had just…radiated hatred. Pure, boiling hatred. It was his eyes that made her run. Lyra had never before seen her rival like that before. Ever.

So when a hand came down on Lyra's shoulder, she whipped around and nearly knocked off Lolly's head with her bag. Lolly fell backwards onto her behind, her Ampharos crying out in surprise. Kelly readied an electric attack, but Lolly held up her hand, and Kelly immediately relaxed.

Lyra helped up the girl hurriedly. "Oh, oh my God, I-I am so sorry!" she stuttered out. Tears came gushing. Lolly, after getting over her shock, placed her hands on Lyra's shoulders and embraced her. Lyra cried on the older girl's shoulder.

"I know we were never formally introduced, but…my name is Lolly," Lolly uttered softly. She patted the younger girl's back with care.

Lyra sniffled, "L-Lyra." Lolly said nothing more, just stood there hugging the sobbing girl.

Lyra started talking quickly. "I-I am so confused, Lolly. There was this earthquake on Victory Road back in Johto and we were s-sucked into this underground river. W-We came into the Lake Acuity lake cavern, and I fell down another hole… I saw a Mesprit, and it let me hear Silver's thoughts, and he said… he… cared… And… then we got out and I fell off my Lugia… Silver carried me on his back all the way to Florama. Now we're here, and Barry keeps pissing Silver off and Lolly… I… I am so confused!"

Lolly sighed. "It tends to happen when a guy loves someone. Other guys even _speaking_ to their girl are seen as a threat. Especially Barry. My brother is such a retard sometimes."

Lyra gazed at Lolly, her eyes flickering with… hope. "Silver… Silver loves me?"

Lolly never got to answer, though, as a Haunter attacked her from behind and she fell to the ground. When she rose again, her eyes had changed from their soft hazel to a menacing red, and her face displayed nothing but the evil grin that made Lyra scream.


	8. Chapter 8

"Lolly…" Lyra whimpered. Lolly stood awkwardly, her entire body faintly glowing a sickly purple. She started toward Lyra with head down, hands out, like she was a zombie. Lolly's hair was a mop, coving her red eyes with a mass of dirty blond. Her hat had fallen to the ground, and that was when Kelly had panicked. She didn't know what to do.

Lyra backed away, fear gushing into her body. Haunters and Ghastlys surrounded her, Lolly seeming to be their leader. Lolly chuckled softly.

Barry burst into the room, charging madly at the ghosts before him. His Staravia flew in alongside him, using a powerful wing attack. The only reason Barry had any courage right then was because Lyra was here and so was Lolly. Silver ran up behind him, scoffing at the sloppy attack that had been dealt by Barry's Pokemon.

As soon as a scream registered in Barry's brain, he ran off in the girls' direction. Silver had followed quickly and silently. He was still incredibly pissed at Barry. But now he was incredibly ashamed of himself. Had he…had he really scared Lyra? Or was she just disgusted by him? Lyra didn't seem to be scared of anything, so the second option seemed more likely.

Silver sent out his Magneton, his eyes staring at Lyra and her scared expression. Lolly was crawling forward with her head down, hands reaching up at Lyra. Silver almost ran out and attacked Lolly, but he refrained and instead ordered Magneton to charge itself. Magneton did as it was told, and the result was every ghost in that room floated off to the source of the electric energy.

Silver and Barry jumped over the various holes in the floor while Magneton was distracting the Ghastlys and Haunters. Barry ran to his sister and shook her. She only drooled a bit, weakly attempting to claw herself from his grasp.

Barry gasped when he saw Lolly's eyes. In fact he was so astonished that he dropped her. Lolly flailed on the floor, laughing madly in a voice that was slurred and confused. Magneton was flying around the room quickly, trying its hardest not to be caught by the following Pokémon. Barry stared down at his sister, terrified.

Silver ran to Lyra, grabbing her shoulders. Lyra was in a place far away, frozen in her own fear. So when Silver shook her gently, she shrieked, cringing back with the gaze of a frightened animal evident in her eyes.

"Lyra!" Silver shouted, voice barely audible over the shrieks of the ghosts chasing his Magneton.

Something in Lyra snapped back into place upon hearing Silver's voice. Her expression changed to the determined Lyra Silver knew too well. She walked forward, past the terror-stricken Barry, past the flying Magneton and past the Staravia that was only at half health, due to the revive she had given Barry, and shot pointed to Lolly, who was now attempting to get up.

"Ampharos, use Thunder!"

Kelly did not hesitate at Lyra's command. She let out a lightning bolt that lit the room. It stopped the ghosts, along with Magneton, in their tracks. Barry and Silver stared at the bolt, too, as it hit Lolly in the back, and she collapsed entirely. She twitched from the electricity, her body pale. Blood trickled from her mouth.

Silver watched as the red drained from Lolly's eyes, and a Haunter lay unconscious next to her. Lolly stared up at the three trainers, their eyes peering down in curiosity. Lolly tasted blood. Crap.

And then she blacked out.

Lolly woke up in a bed. A hospital bed. Barry stared down at her, a smile appearing when Lolly's eyes fluttered open.

"B-b-baoth," Lolly muttered, her word mixed between 'brother' and 'Barry.'

"You're awake! You're awake!" Barry exclaimed, jumping up and down. Lolly grinned at his energy. Just like last time she had seen him.

"Lolly! You were asleep for a whole day! It's night time now!" Barry's voice grew even higher with his excitement.

Lolly was surprised. All she could remember was being stabbed in the back… and then something shot her. She had felt like she was on fire. Then the pain had ceased…but she couldn't stay awake long enough to find out what had happened. "B-barry, what happened?"

Barry stopped. "You mean you don't remember? Lyra took control of your Ampharos and she used Thunder on you. You were taken over by a Haunter. Lyra told me that was the only way we could get it out of you."

"L-L-Lyra? Lyra and S-Silver? Where are th-they? Where a-are we?"

"They're asleep in the other room. I told you, its dark outside. And we're in Eterna. I told the doctors I would wait for you to wake up so I could say goodnight, though. And they said you weren't going to wake up for a while because you were in something called a 'coma.' What's a coma?" Barry answered hastily.

"Wait, I was in a _coma_? If I was in a coma, I would not be awake right now…"

"Nah. I told them you would wake up. And you did. But they didn't listen to me."

"…Hm. Did you say Silver and Lyra were asleep in the other room?" Lolly inquired.

Barry started giggling. "Yep. Lyra was waiting for you to wake up too. She felt really bad for… shocking you. But then she got tired and went to our room to talk to Silver… I don't know how it happened, but they are sleeping right next to each other, and it looks funny."

Lolly started smirking. "I've got to see that. Am I hooked up to anything?"

Barry shook his head "You were earlier, but since they revived you, all you needed then was to wake up."

"Then help me up."

Barry looked taken aback. "But you're supposed to rest!"

Lolly rolled her eyes. "I'll get some rest after I see them sleeping together."

At this statement, Barry burst out laughing. Lolly rolled her eyes again at his immaturity. She pulled herself up and slipped off the bed awkwardly. "Alright, so where are they?"

Barry smirked, pointing to the room next to the door. Using her brother for support, she hobbled to the next room to find an amusing scene.

Silver was sitting on the floor, first of all, not the bed that was provided. He was sleeping quietly with his arm wrapped around his rival. His face looked…peaceful. Lyra was asleep under the protection of Silver's arm, head resting on his side. She looked emotionless.

As Lolly gazed down at the sleeping rivals she could help feeling a subtle sense of accomplishment. She remembered those words Lyra had last asked her. _Silver loves me?_ played in Lolly's mind again and again.

"Yes. He really does," Lolly whispered aloud, a smile touching her pale lips.


	9. Chapter 9

Silver's dream consisted of the events before falling asleep on the floor. He wasn't aware of the girl sitting next to him, or how his arm was around her. But he smiled in unconsciousness as he recalled the night's events…

Silver peered down on the world from a third person point of view, as if he were watching a movie. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He felt like giant, silent eyes in the sky as he gazed at his dream self.

Silver was lying on the bed, arms behind his head to prop himself up. His jacket and shoes were in a chair across the room. Comfort was visible in his hard, red eyes that stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't been truly comfortable for three days.

Lyra walked into the room looking pale and depressed. She walked over to Silver and sat on her knees next to the bed. All Pokémon were being healed by another nurse, Silver remembered, so that's why neither had a Pokemon with them.

Lyra sighed. "I wish all this would stop."

"Hm?" his dream self asked.

"All this drama," Lyra said quietly. Silver turned on his side then, gazing at Lyra. She looked horribly tired, as if she hadn't slept in a day or two. Well, she _had_ stayed up all night waiting for Lolly to wake up, and then fell asleep in her spaghetti she had for lunch in the cafeteria, so really she had been awake most of the night. Silver was worried about her.

He sat up and slipped off the bed, taking a place next to Lyra on his knees. She blinked at him as if he had just appeared from nowhere.

"What?" he whispered.

"I'm… so tired…" she answered quietly. Her eyes looked hollow compared to the liveliness that used to reside in them.

"Then go to sleep. Lolly will be okay. It's not like she's going anywhere."

"But you're on the bed…" her head lolled to the side a bit, her eyes fluttering.

"Nah. Take it," he shrugged, moving over to the wall. Lyra got on the bed gratefully. She was asleep in seconds.

Dream Silver stayed awake for a while, watching Lyra with a small smile touching his mouth. Silver remembered what he was thinking. How he was trying to convince himself that she wasn't trying to kill herself. How he knew she just cared about people and Pokémon alike. How he, deep inside his heart, knew he cared for this girl too much for his own good. Then Silver fell asleep himself, sitting against the hard hospital wall on the cold tile floor.

Silver figured the dream was over, but suddenly he was placed in Lyra's point of view.

Lyra opened one of her eyes upon hearing the soft snores of her rival. She dragged herself off the bed, crawling over to Silver. She took her place under his arm, sighing in relief and closing her heavy eyelids. Dream Silver looked more peaceful than ever. The real Silver was surprised. Why was she next to him on the floor when she was comfortable on the bed? Was she waiting for him to fall asleep to do so?

The view suddenly changed again to Lolly's, who the real Silver was shocked to see awake. She was in a coma and wasn't expected to be awake for another week or so. But there she was, staring down at Silver and Lyra with a little grin on her face. Real Silver felt hot with a blush. Lolly's thoughts were projected into space, just as Lyra's were when she disappeared underground and Silver heard her voice speaking to him. Lyra's sobs were apparent at first. A memory, it sounded like, echoing throughout the room.

"_I-I am so confused, Lolly. There was this earthquake on Victory Road back in Johto and we were s-sucked into this underground river. W-We came into the Lake Acuity lake cavern, and I fell down another hole… I saw a Mesprit, and it let me hear Silver's thoughts, and he said… he…_ cared_…__And… then we got out and I fell off my Lugia… Silver carried me on his back all the way to Florama. Now we're here, and Barry keeps pissing Silver off and Lolly… I… I am so confused!"_

Then Lolly's voice. _"It tends to happen when a guy loves someone. Other guys even speaking to their girl are seen as a threat. Especially Barry. My brother is such a retard sometimes."_

Lyra's voice again, and it played over and over. _"Silver… Silver loves me?"_

The memory faded away, and they returned to Lolly again. She was nodding her head, her eyes threatening her with warm tears. "Yes. He really does." She answered quietly. Barry, who was next to her smirking at the scene, questioned her words. But she shook her head.

Silver woke up suddenly, knocking Lyra over. She didn't wake up, though. She just moved a bit and said "Silver…" faintly. Silver was bewildered. Was his… was his dream true?

Silver splashed water in his face when he walked to the private bathroom, staring at his reflection. At first he wasn't really looking at anything. His thoughts were focused on his dream. But when he saw the pink, fairy-like Pokemon in the mirror, he froze.

Mesprit.

Silver turned around, and it was still there. He hadn't imagined the Pokemon haunting him. He stared at it, truly and utterly shocked. At an attempt to reach out and touch it, it backed away abruptly.

There was an awkward silence, but Mesprit finally cried out. Silver was startled. Mesprit circled his body, floating up to his hair, around his torso and even twirling around his legs. Silver dared not to move.

When Mesprit was satisfied, it landed gently on the rim of the sink and smiled up at Silver. He still did not move.

Mesprit cried out again, floating off toward Lyra. Silver followed quietly. The pink Pokemon landed next to Lyra's face. Lyra's skin was tinted gray, and her expression had no emotion evident at all. Silver fell to his knees and took her face in his hands, his eyes growing wider with anguish. Mesprit nodded, saying something even Silver could understand.

_She's sick._


	10. Chapter 10

Lolly hobbled into the room with a grin evident on her face. "Good morning-" she started, but was stopped when she saw the Pokemon. Mesprit stared at Lolly in fear, frozen in its place. Lolly stared back, bewildered by the sudden appearance of the pink Pokemon.

No one said a word.

Finally, Mesprit floated over to Lolly and cried out a pitiful "Oyo!" Lolly exhaled. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath. Mesprit held its little paw out to Lolly, beckoning her toward Lyra. Silver just watched, not saying anything.

Lyra lay on the floor, shivering. Silver came to his senses and picked her up. He set her gently on the bed. Mesprit landed gracefully next to her head. Lolly's gaze flickered from Lyra to Mesprit and back. "What's wrong with her?" she whispered to no one in particular.

Mesprit cried out, staring at Silver. It knew that Silver understood the issue, and Silver knew it wanted him to tell her, but he couldn't speak. His red eyes were wide with shock. Mesprit cried out again, and it brought the words gushing from his mouth.

"Mesprit says she's sick."

Lolly blinked at him, turning back to the Pokemon and asking directly: "What's wrong with her? Can you tell us?"

Mesprit stared up Lolly with big eyes of gold, closing them suddenly. It began to float again, letting out a small murmur of concentration.

Silver and Lolly saw the same image at the same time. It was of Mesprit itself, a hand touching its head. The image panned to Lyra's face. She looked like she was going to puke and her eyes were as big as saucers. As soon as the picture came, it was gone, but it lingered in both of their heads.

Lyra rustled in her sleep, and Mesprit vanished. Lyra, who still looked like all the color was drained from her body, gazed up at Lolly with hollow eyes. Lolly and Silver stared at the spot where Mesprit once stood.

"Lolly," she nodded, offering nothing more than an empty smile. She sat up on the hospital bed. "Silver, if I remember correctly, I believe it was an emotion that I was selfishly feeding that caused you to find me where I was this morning. I apologize for causing any confusion or distress."

Lolly and Silver gaped in her direction as she rose from the bed and moved to the bathroom, splashing water in her face. Suddenly, Barry burst in, a grin that shone like the sun apparent on his face. "Good morning!" he cried, running over to Lolly and giving her a big hug. Lolly didn't say anything.

Barry's face changed when he saw Silver looking like he was going to be sick. He set his sister down and shuffled over to him. "What's the matter? Where's Lyra?"

Silver pointed to the bathroom, Lyra only glancing back in acknowledgement without saying anything. Barry instantly knew something was not right. Just as he opened his mouth to ask, Lolly hushed him with a look.

Lyra came back into the room looking more presentable, with her hair in new pigtails and her face washed, but her face was still the pale gray color. She nodded to the three trainers. "I'm going to the cafeteria for breakfast. I shall meet you there."

As soon as Lyra left, Barry started shooting out questions.

"What's wrong with Lyra? Why doesn't she sound fun anymore? Why does Silver look like he's going to be sick? Lolly, you're not resting! Is anyone else hungry-"

Lolly clasped her hand down over her brother's mouth. Silver sat down on the bed. Lolly sat next to him. Barry, even if silenced, was greedy for answers and was bouncing with energy.

But that changed when two men walked into the room. Lolly and Barry's eyes grew bigger than their heads, grins spreading across their faces.

"Dad!" Barry yelped, running up to the blond headed man. The man chuckled, embracing his son. Lolly limped over to the man as well.

"Lolly, I got here as fast as I could. Why aren't you resting?" he said gently. The man's gaze turned to Silver. Silver gave his default look – a glare. The man chuckled. "Lolly, I think this boy is a little young for you."

Silver went red, and Lolly punched her father's arm. "Dad! I wouldn't date someone that's at least 4 years younger than me!"

Silver was surprised. Lolly was 18? She looked his age…

The man gave a hearty laugh. "Fine. But you need rest. Now," he ordered, picking his daughter up and placing her on his back. Barry was still bouncing with excitement.

Lolly's expression had SOS written all over it, but Silver was still trying to get over that little comment and didn't notice. Besides, what could he have done? Barry followed his father to Lolly's room.

That left the other young man. Silver stared up at the boy. He was just a little taller than Silver himself with dark, spiky hair. He had a bundle of papers in his hands.

"I think I have the wrong room…" he said finally, starting for the door. However, leaflets of paper floated to the floor. He bended over to get them, and the rest of his papers came with him.

Silver silently helped him pick them up. He wasn't really a nosy person, but when he saw a picture of Mesprit and two other similar Pokemon, he stopped dead, staring at the paper. The boy snatched the paper away and glared. He stood again and tried to hurry away, but Silver stopped him in his tracks by grabbing his shoulder.

"What do you know about Mesprit?" he demanded. His grip was iron-hard.

The boy continued to glare. "Mesprit. The Emotion Pokemon. It's about a foot tall and doesn't weigh much. It lives in a lake cavern in Lake Acuity. It's one of the three lake guardians. It, along with Uxie and Azelf, are said to have given humans emotions, willpower, and knowledge. Anything else?"

Silver sighed, releasing his arm. "Oh."

The boy's look softened. "What is it?"

"My friend is sick."

"Sick? We're in a hospital. You shouldn't be too concerned."

"I mean, it's like she's lost her personality, and Mesprit came and told us itself that she was sick."

The boy dropped his papers deliberately, his mouth and eyes wide open. "Did she touch it?"

"What?"

"Did she touch Mesprit?"

"Uh, yeah. Mesprit told us that part, but we didn't understand it." Silver shrugged.

"Do you realize that if you touch Mesprit, in three days time, you lose all your emotions?"


	11. Chapter 11

"…Are you _kidding_ me?" demanded Silver in a low voice. The boy seemed startled by the sudden change of tone, but quickly got over it, nodding.

"Yeah. Where is your friend? I've never seen anyone who's touched a Mesprit before," he grinned. He spoke as if Lyra were an experiment, and this infuriated Silver. He grabbed the boy by his shirt and pulled him down to glaring eye-level, considering the boy was taller and he couldn't pick him up.

"What's your name?" Silver hissed.

"Stefon," the boy grinned. "Can I see her or not?"

Silver glared, mulling over in his head whether or not to punch him, but then he realized that this kid might know how to help Lyra. He set him down and said: "Come on."

The boys walked into the cafeteria. Silver spotted Lyra and her beloved hat immediately, waving Stefon over. As soon as Stefon saw Lyra, his face flushed of most color, he was so stunned. Lyra gave a light smile. Her face was gray and stony.

"Silver," she nodded. "What is your name?"

"Stefon," he answered, completely awed by Lyra. If she was only an inanimate object… or if this guy were to stop glaring at him… he could study her.

"My name is Lyra. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said simply, and then went back to nibbling her sandwich. Silver saw this as strange, because Lyra usually loved food and raided buffets. He took a seat in front of his rival, Stefon taking a place next to her.

Stefon couldn't stop staring at her skin color. It was literally a pale shade of gray. There was no color whatsoever. Silver felt his hands form into fists. He did not enjoy the way this kid was looking at her. Like she was some test subject.

Lyra glanced upwards at the boys. "Once again, I am unaware of the bigger picture. Silver, please stop looking at Stefon like you want to kill him. Stefon, I would suggest getting something to eat. The buffet was running low on everything."

Stefon seemed to drool at her speech. It was like she was a rock! Or maybe worse! A rock could sound more meaningful than that! He nodded, walking off toward the buffet with a researcher's grin on his face.

"Alright, Silver, would you please inform me of the issue at hand here? You do not like our new friend at all."

"He looks at you like you're a…" he trailed off. Did Lyra know about what happened with Mesprit? If she didn't, and if he would have finished that sentence, she would have asked why. So instead, the subject dropped when Stefon came back with a tray of breakfast food.

"Here," he said, tossing a roll to Silver. Lyra stood up. "I am finished, and I'm going to see Lolly."

Silver sighed when she left. Stefon, whose mouth was full from a piece of bacon, gave him an inquiring look.

"What is it?"

"Nothing…"

"Meowth got your tongue?"

Silver couldn't explain everything to this boy. He had just met him not ten minutes ago. "A bunch of stuff has happened since we've come here…" he said, not intending to go farther than that.

But it all came gushing out as he told the story of how he and Lyra arrived here in Sinnoh. How Victory Road, back in Johto, collapsed beneath their feet and they were trapped in an underground river for hours. How Lyra fell down the mysterious hole in the cave and she said she saw Mesprit. How they were able to come out and fly on Lyra's Lugia, and she almost fell to her doom. How he carried her back to Florama Town, where she was healed. How they met Barry and Lolly in Eterna Forest, and how he frightened Lyra to the point of running off. And finally how Lolly got hurt, and how Lyra lost her emotions. He even included his weird dream, which he had no intention of saying to anyone at all.

Stefon listened intently to every word, not speaking the questions that bubbled to his head. When Silver finished his tale, the cafeteria had cleared out, and only the janitors were left.

"That's…" Stefon began, but a pitiful stare from Silver caused him to silence his opinion. "And this all happened in three days?"

"Yeah. It's been a living nightmare."

Stefon gulped down the last bit of his orange juice. The food had been shared by the boys, and there was not much left. Stefon picked up the tray and threw it away, beckoning Silver over to the exit.

"Well, we need to figure out a way to get Lyra back. You with me?" Stefon suggested, an honest smile evident on his tan face.

Silver was hesitant, like he always was, but nodded, following the boy out into the hallway toward their rooms.

Lyra walked into the room where Lolly was staying to see a pleasant scene. A blond headed man sat in a chair that was pulled up by Lolly's bed. Barry was asleep in the man's lap, Lolly coming close to the same fate. The man quickly turned his head toward Lyra when the wooden door clicked shut behind her.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Hello, there. You a friend of Lolly's?" the man smiled warmly. He seemed nice enough, Lyra thought.

"Yes. You are?" asked Lyra, but she didn't really need a clarification. The resemblance the kids shared to the man was unmistakable.

"My name is Palmer, one of the brains at the Battle Frontier. Barry and Lolly are my kids," he held out his hand. Lyra shook it.

"Goodness… the doctors told me that she was attacked by a Pokemon and then blasted by a thunderbolt. What a story, huh?"

"Well, that story is mostly true. Lolly was possessed by a Haunter in the haunted mansion in Eterna forest. I ordered her Ampharos to use Thunder to shock it out of her. I apologize, but I was thinking too quickly and found no other solution," Lyra said quietly.

"Hey, as long as she's okay now, I owe you my thanks. What did you say your name was?"

"Lyra."

"Well, thanks, but Lolly's not going to be leaving anytime soon. She already knows this, and her brother's staying here, too," he said firmly.

Normal Lyra would have objected, no matter who this guy was, but this Lyra just nodded. "I understand. I hope to talk to her in the future."

Lyra padded toward the door. "Nice talking to you," she said, closing the door behind her, whispering a silent goodbye to her friends and a small good luck to Lolly.


	12. Chapter 12

"Do I really have to do this?" Silver whined.

Stefon held back his smirk. "Yes. It might get her back."

Silver sighed. He didn't like touching people, let alone Lyra. But if this is what it took to get back cute and bubbly Lyra, he would do it. The current one shook his control over things. And he despised not having control.

So now, here was Silver, standing outside the door to the PokeMart in Eterna City getting prep talk from Stefon. Stefon patted his back for comfort. "Hey, it will only last for a few seconds. And it's to see if she responds to other emotions, like affection. And considering I'm like a stranger to her I can't do it…"

Silver was about to respond, but Lyra came out of the PokeMart with some bags in her hands. Stefon gave him a little push, and Silver remembered what he was supposed to do.

"Lyra!" he said, offering a fake smile. She momentarily looked his way, and he embraced her awkwardly. Lyra dropped her bags, her eyes blinking with surprise.

"Um, hello, Silver… I was only in there for maybe ten minutes you know," she shrugged him off, picking up her things and walking over to Stefon, who was trying not to laugh. Silver couldn't help but feel some type of rejection or loss as walked over to join them. But with Lyra he always lost, so it wasn't a new feeling.

Stefon gave him a sideways glance that said_: Well, that didn't work._

Stefon had decided to stay with Silver and Lyra, and had even given them a new heading as for where to go. While Lyra was oblivious, Silver and Stefon had talked the night before while they were still at the Pokemon Center about what to do. Stefon told of a place called Celestic town. The residents were mainly old people, but they were _smart_ old people and someone there might know how to cure Lyra.

Since that discussion, they had checked out of the hospital. Palmer said he would cover their stay as thanks for getting his daughter to the hospital. Silver and Lyra were relived. Why Stefon was in Eterna was still a mystery.

Lyra now walked ahead of the boys as the trio traveled down route 211. Silver stared at Lyra, sadness creeping into his stomach. He hated seeing Lyra like this. Stefon, on the other hand, took every opportunity to talk to Lyra. He wanted to hear her voice and how bland it was when she spoke. Her eyes, too, were something to be amazed by. Their usual pretty, lively brown had turned into a dull gray, like her skin. The only color on her was in her clothing.

"So, where did you guys come from?" Stefon asked.

"I come from a little place called New Bark town. It runs mostly on wind energy," Lyra answered. She looked to Silver. "What about you, Silver?"

Stefon blinked. "You guys don't come from the same town?"

Silver talked quickly, not looking at either of the trainers. "I… I've been on my own since I was 11. We didn't really have a hometown. We were always moving."

Stefon was not satisfied with this. "Did your parents abandon you?"

Lyra listened too. Silver didn't talk much about his past. He hesitated. "Well… My dad was not really a good person. I don't know who my mom is. I abandoned _them_."

Silver glowered at the boy, the gaze saying: _Shut up or I will kill you._ Lyra took no interest in the conversation and instead stared up at a large, orange tree.

Ninetales, who had been following Lyra, suddenly sprinted forward to the tree, rubbing against the trunk with a blissful expression on her face. Stefon started laughing. Silver looked confused. "What's she doing?"

"That's a honey tree. It smells good to Pokemon, and good to humans too when there's honey on it," Stefon said, reaching for his bag. From it he pulled out a jar of a golden substance. Silver and Lyra were drawn to it instantly as he popped off the lid and the sweet smell of honey drifted to their noses.

"See?" Stefon grinned, plunging his hands into the jar. He spread the golden goodness on the tree. He was right; it smelled really good. He laughed at his hands, letting Ninetales lick one hand and he the other. He gestured to the jar. "Go ahead!"

Lyra gave the jar a strange look, dipping her own hands in and smearing the tree with honey. She gasped at the taste. "It tastes really good," she said. "Silver, can you get my Pokeballs from my bag? My hands are sticky."

Silver did what was asked (with the exception of Lugia and Gyarados) as well as calling out his own Pokemon and even Stefon's. All the Pokemon were licking either the tree or someone's hands. Even Silver spread some honey on the tree. His Sneasel licked his palm.

Suddenly, Lyra laughed aloud, a big grin on her face when Umbreon licked her fingers. Silver and Stefon stared at her, mouths open. Lyra's face seemed to glow with happiness. She continued giggling for a bit, not noticing the boys' stares. Silver's face grew lighter. Was she back?

Stefon smiled too. Maybe her emotions were locked away somewhere in her head. Surely they couldn't just go away. The sight of her Pokemon having so much fun must have sparked something. But why couldn't Silver do that? He knew that boy had something for Lyra… As Stefon thought about this, suddenly, Silver did something really out of character.

"Lyra! You're back!" he said, tackling her with a hug with a grin bigger than his head. Lyra really did seem genuinely surprised and blushed madly. Stefon was trying his hardest not to tease because he knew Silver had really wanted the old Lyra back. Whatever that was. This new, happy Lyra was new to him.

"I never was gone, Silver," she said quietly, pushing her rival away, uninterested voice returning.


	13. Chapter 13

"They came through here?" he asked.

The nurse fumbled with the hem of her dress, not looking the red-haired young man in his eyes. First of all, he was attractive, with his cape behind him and eyes looking cold and warm at the same time. Secondly, he was very intimidating with that Dragonite standing next to him, looming over her.

"Um, yes. The boy said that the girl fell off her Lugia… I kind of didn't believe them. Who catches a Lugia?" she answered quickly.

Lance sighed in relief. So they weren't dead. Lyra had a Lugia, that he was sure. He had talked to Zuki since then. The Kimono girl went on and on about how she and her sisters had trained so hard for the day Lugia would appear, how it was _so_ beautiful, and how Lyra caught it.

"Thanks," he said curtly, stalking off with Dragonite and cape trailing behind him. As soon as he left the Pokemon Center, he boarded Dragonite and took off for the next town.

Since his talk with Professor Rowan a few days ago, Lance set his mind on finding the kids. When Rowan heard of this, he offered to buy him a ticket for the train that led to the Sinnoh region. Lance was reluctant at first, but who would pass up a free ticket? A day later, they were traveling through the mountains to the Sinnoh region.

Lance gazed down at the disappearing field of flowers behind them. They were pretty. Not unlike someone he knew… Someone he hadn't seen in a while.

Dragonite called out to his trainer; a warning that he was about to dive. They were already at the next town. Dragonite were known for their speed and intelligence. Lance braced himself for the drop, cape ripping behind him.

"Lance!" a voice called. Lance turned around quickly, his body tensing. Dragonite remembered the voice better than his trainer did. A blond-headed man walked down Eterna's Pokemon Center's hallway, a warm smile evident on his face.

"Palmer!" he laughed. "What are you doing here?"

Palmer's smile faded. "Well… Come with me."

Lance was instantly worried. Why was Palmer here? What about his kids? Were they alright?

They silently walked to a room at the end of the hallway. Lance froze when he saw the figure in the bed. "Lolly?"

Lolly, who had been dozing off, snapped awake at the sound Lance's voice. Her hazel eyes grew wide with surprise and her face turned pink. "L-Lance! What, what are you doing here?"

Palmer laughed. "I'll let you two catch up. I need lunch."

When Palmer left, Lance did the rare act of making Dragonite return. Lolly watched him, her face sustaining a pale pink. Lance sat in the chair that was pulled up next to Lolly's bed.

Silence.

Finally, Lance asked. "What happened?"

Lolly was quiet for a moment. "I got struck by lightning."

Lance stared her. "Seriously?"

Lolly nodded. "I was… on a chandelier in the Haunted Mansion."

"…What?"

"I was helping Lyra and Silver come together by leading them into the Pokemon Mansion and summoning a bunch of ghost Pokemon to scare them to each other. Barry screwed it up and made Lyra run off. I went to find Lyra and got possessed by a Haunter in the process. Lyra used Kelly to shock it out of me. There." Lolly gasped for breath.

Lance was silent. "…And what is this about a chandelier?"

"Kelly and I were hiding up there. Kelly was using her electric powers to call the ghosts like a magnet."

Lance fell over in his chair, laughing. "Oh, the irony!"

Lolly glared down at him. "Why are _you_ here, anyway?" she asked.

"I was looking for Silver and Lyra," he said between breaths.

Lolly crossed her arms, turning her body the other way. Her hair was a tangle of blond that blocked her (now) red cheeks from view.

Lance stood up, dusting off his pants. "You'll be out soon, right?"

"Not if my dad has something to say about it. I can walk, but he won't let me."

An idea suddenly popped in Lance's mind. "Hey," he said, tapping his friend's shoulder, "look at me."

Lolly obeyed, turning her head to see Lance's hand stretched toward her. She blinked at it.

"My hand has been de-clawed, don't worry," Lance grinned.

Lolly smiled, taking his hand and standing up. It was the first time she had been up since yesterday, besides using the bathroom, so she wobbled a bit. Lance steadied her, glancing her over. Hospital gown and pajama pants.

"Hospital dresses are so last year," Lolly pouted.

Lance chuckled. "It's the first time I've seen you in a dress, so…"

She punched his arm. "So are we going to track down those kids?"

Lance grinned. "Oh yeah."

"What about Dad?"

"I think he has his hands full with Barry. He is here, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now I can steal you away on my dragon and we can fly off into the sunset without feeling guilty."

Lolly hadn't noticed her cheeks burning, but Lance did. He held his hand up to her forehead. "No fever… Why are you so red?"

Lolly turned around, walking fast toward the door. Lance shrugged, following his long-time friend.

"Lolly!" Barry's voice made his sister freeze. Lance had already turned the corner and was out of sight, but Lolly was a little too late. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Shush!" she hissed. Lance listened from behind the wall.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"…I'm going to find them."

"But Dad said to stay in bed!"

"Look, do I look like I need bed rest?"

"No…but-"

"But nothing! I can't stay in bed for forever! Now, are you coming?"

Barry stared at his sister, stunned that she would even suggest he come along. Usually she ran off without him, saying: "It's my business," and then he would follow her. That's what had happened in Eterna Forest, where they met Silver and Lyra.

Then he saw the familiar red-headed man he knew too well peeking behind the wall. Barry knew his sister liked him. He found her journal one day and read it without ever telling anyone. He knew that she would want to spend some time with her crush. She hadn't seen Lance in a while.

"…No. Dad offered to teach me some new battle strategies. Good luck finding them, though," he said, turning his back to his sister. He padded away, feeling good that he did something furtively kind, with Lolly gaping after him.


	14. Chapter 14

No words. No sounds. Not even the Pokemon said anything in their language. It was silent the rest of the way to Celestic Town. Stefon attempted to make conversation at certain points, but it was quickly dropped.

Upon arrival, Stefon was instantly interested in the ruins in the middle of the town. Silver went straight to the Pokemon Center instead of followed along. Stefon stared at the pictures of the lake guardians, fascinated. Lyra, who had accompanied Stefon instead of her rival, looked bored.

"It's amazing, history and all," he said under his beaming smile.

Lyra glanced at him, meaning 'What do you mean?'

"It's just amazing how Pokemon created this place. This world. Or so the legend says,"

"What legend?" Lyra asked.

"Well, there is a legend about an alpha Pokemon by the name of Arceus. When there was nothing out there in the universe, legend says that Arceus was born from it. It created the lake guardians." He sighed, admiring the carefully sketched drawings of the three Pokemon.

"The lake guardians?"

"Yeah. Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf. They embody emotions, knowledge and willpower, respectively. They even look similar, so it's believed they were created from the same egg."

"Mesprit?"

"Yes. See?" Stefon pointed at the picture of Mesprit. "And that one is Uxie," he pointed to the picture of the Pokemon with its eyes closed, "and that's Azelf."

Lyra was about to say something, but suddenly a faint voice echoed through the cavern.

Silver snorted in annoyance. The lady was taking much too long with his Pokemon. And it didn't help that some old lady had come up and started babbling.

"Hello young man… You look troubled," she stated gently.

Silver ignored her at first. The woman just coughed and almost demanded: "What's the matter?"

Silver blinked at her. She just stared, patiently waiting for an answer.

"If you really want to know, this nurse is taking too long with my Pokemon. Not too mention my best friend has lost all her god-damned emotions because she touched a freaking Mesprit!" Silver was getting upset, and fast.

The woman's eyes narrowed, and before Silver was able to blink, she whacked him upside the head. "Do. NOT. Swear. At all. Are we clear, young man?" she hissed.

Silver (having lost all cockiness) just gave a small nod, eyes wide. Her voice sounded like a snake-woman's. It was frightening.

"Now this thing about Mesprit – You said she's a girl, and you are her best friend?" she asked, her voice cooling down.

Silver shrugged. "Well, we've been rivals for almost a year now, and I don't hate her…"

"How old is she?"

"About 13, maybe? I know she's a year younger than me, and I'm 14."

"Hm…alright. I might be able to help you."

"Wha-"

"I'm sorry it took so long, but your Pokemon are fully rested and are ready to go! Have a nice day!" the nurse interrupted, handing Silver six Pokeballs. He pocketed them and turned to the elderly lady. She gestured over to a table nearest the door. Silver followed, wanting to hear what she had to say.

_It started out as a feeling… which then grew into a hope._

Stefon and Lyra stopped dead. Even though the cave was small and the light from the doorway covered the room, all of a sudden, it seemed darker and more mysterious.

_Which then turned into a…quiet thought….which then turned into a quiet word…._

Both Stefon and Lyra were spooked. They both stared at the ceiling, the source, as if it were going to explode at any moment.

_And then that word grew louder and louder…_

You could tell it was a woman's voice now. She sounded as if though she was just entering her 20s. Either way, the voice was beautiful. When she sang the line, her voice really did get louder.

'_Till it was a battle cry…_

Suddenly, the ceiling crumbled and exploded over their heads. Lyra jumped out of the way, but Stefon was not as quick. Whoever had been singing was now lying, unmoving, on Stefon's back.

"Oh my God…" Stefon groaned. The woman didn't attempt to move, just sang out softly.

_I'll come back when you call me…_

Lyra blinked at the older female. She was wearing formal pants and a tank top, both black. A large, thin coat was draped over her with fuzzy material at the ends of the sleeves and around her neck, also black. She had hairpieces that looked like her Umbreon's ears with a yellow stripe in them. White blond hair cascaded down her back.

_No need to say goodbye…_

"Lyra, get her off of me!" Stefon yelled out after struggling to get up. Lyra snapped out of her trance and held out her hand to the woman, who took it gingerly.

"I…I'm very sorry for falling on you," she told Stefon, helping him up. The confusion on her face mirrored their own.

"Yeah…" he grumbled, dusting himself off. His back was sore. Not a big surprise.

Lyra stared at the woman. "What's your name?"

"Cynthia," Cynthia answered, staring at the wall. There was dirt covering it. She freaked out.

"Oh crap!" she cried, madly trying to wipe it off. She was satisfied when all three Pokemon were visible again, along with the text.

Stefon and Lyra blinked at her.

"I didn't want to ruin the picture. It's centuries old! It's bad enough I just broke the ceiling," it was hard to tell in the light, but Lyra could have sworn Cynthia's eye just twitched. "And I still want to learn more about the lake guardians."

"What do you know about Mesprit?" Stefon asked, suddenly more interested in the woman who fell on him.

Cynthia shrugged. "I know a lot about it. It lives at our own Lake Verity, near Twinleaf Town in an underground cavern. It is the being that gave us emotion. It borrowed deep underground to avoid touching people. If you touched it, all your emotions would drain in three days time."

As soon as Lyra heard this, her eyes grew wide. "What?"

"What?" Cynthia asked.

"You said something about your emotions going away in three days."

"Yeah, but it never comes above ground, so-" Cynthia stopped, peeking around Lyra. "You know, you don't have to sneak around. Just come in." she called to the figure in the doorway.

Silver stood near the entrance, looking kind of embarrassed. Stefon chuckled, but stopped as soon as he saw Silver's expression.

"Stefon, I know someone that can help us." Silver whispered.


	15. Chapter 15

Stefon and Silver ran off before Lyra could say anything. Cynthia stood next to her, blinking after the boys.

"He was cute…" Cynthia chuckled. "Did you know him?"

"Which one of them?"

"The red-head."

"Yeah. He's…my best friend."

"Oh _really_?" Cynthia grinned down at Lyra.

Lyra looked unfazed. "Uh huh. He's my rival. We've been through a lot. Now, what did you mean by loosing emotions in three days time?"

"Yeah. But Mesprit hides itself so people can't touch it."

"But then why would it come up so willingly for me to pet it…?"

"Huh?" questioned a confused Cynthia.

"…Why would Mesprit come up willingly for a person to touch it?"

Cynthia laughed. "It wouldn't! Not unless it knew it was in its spirit form."

"Spirit form?"

"Yeah. Mesprit, Uxie and Azelf alike stay underground. When they want to come up, their spirits fly over the lake. People aren't supposed to be able to see their spirits…" Cynthia lowered her voice, a grin appearing, "but I saw Azelf's spirit on Lake Valor when I was 10 years old. That's what made me start researching the Sinnoh myths."

"Is it possible that one of the lake guardians wouldn't know it was in spirit form?" Lyra asked.

"Maybe… I guess so. Why?"

"No reason really…" Lyra turned away and walked toward the exit. Cynthia shrugged, following suit.

"So I've never seen you around here before. Are you from out of town?" Cynthia asked. Even though she was entering her 20s, she seemed to act like she was several years younger.

Lyra nodded. "Silver and I are from Johto. I'm not sure where Stefon comes from. He's always talking to Silver, so we haven't really gotten to know each other yet."

Cynthia's eyes grew bigger. "Really? Johto? Wow, you guys are really far from home."

Lyra shrugged. "Silver and I are traveling together for the time being. We had two other people, Lolly and Barry with us. Siblings. Then Lolly got hurt and her dad made her stay at the hospital to heal. Her brother just stayed with her."

She paused to take a breath. "Stefon and Silver met while we stayed at that hospital. I don't know what they are planning, but now Stefon's with us. I'm just…" Lyra couldn't finish her sentence. So she shrugged again, and the conversation was closed.

A new one took its place. Lyra said, "I haven't talked to just a girl like this in days."

Cynthia placed her arm around Lyra for comfort. "Neither have I, actually. The last girl-to-girl conversation I had was with Dawn… and that was weeks ago… hm… I wonder where she is…" Cynthia trailed off into thought.

Lyra sighed, glancing up at the sky. The sun was past its peak, so Lyra knew noon had past. It would also explain her rumbling stomach. "Is there any eating place around here?"

"Actually, before I fell through the ceiling," Cynthia chuckled, "I was going to have a picnic on route 210 with my grandmother. If no one stole my basket, then we could go eat from that."

"What about your grandmother?" Lyra asked.

It was Cynthia's turn to shrug. "If you're not on time, she waits about 20 seconds, then goes and does something else, no matter what it is planned."

Lyra nodded. "Then let's go find that basket."

Silver, Stefon and Carolina sat at the small table in the Pokemon Center. Silver's head was on the table, murmuring small curses. Stefon had controlled his laughter and looked to the professor, who was oblivious to all due to her interest in Stefon's Rotom. The Rotom seemed to only be interested in messing with the professor's short, grey-blond hair.

"And you're sure it will work?" Stefon asked.

"I'm very sure." Carolina replied, reaching out her hand and touching the small, floating Pokemon. "Where did you say you found this little sweetie again?"

Stefon sighed. "I caught it at the Haunted Mansion in Eterna. I was exploring and it popped out of a TV. I caught it there."

"Ah. I wonder if there are more in that TV…?" she trailed off.

Silver lifted his head off the table, eyeing the professor. Right then, he hated her and loved her. Loved her for finally finding a way to cure Lyra. Hating her for what he had to do to cure it. "Does she have to know about it?"

"I suppose not. My last patient like this made a public appearance of it, though, and he was instantly cured from the overwhelming emotion." Carolina withdrew her hand from Rotom, staring at her palm. Her entire hand was vibrating with energy.

"But they're emotionless. How can they have overwhelming emotion?" asked Stefon. His Rotom decided that Carolina's hair wasn't interesting anymore, so it moved to Stefon's.

"Well, they're not entirely without emotions. They're just locked up deep inside the soul. And when you have a good enough spark, you can start a fire, right?" the professor's face turned into a pout when the Rotom left.

"So that's why Lyra suddenly had emotions earlier…" Silver mumbled to no one in particular. Rotom move over to his hair and just rested in it. Static made the long, red strands stand up. Professor Carolina began giggling, and Stefon had a big grin on his face.

"What?" Silver demanded, oblivious to the Pokemon in his hair. He couldn't even feel it.

"Nothing…" Stefon said, making his face stay straight. Carolina continued smirking, leaving Silver quite confused.

"That was really good…" Lyra murmured after they had picked up the picnic blanket. Cynthia smiled a warm 'Thank you.'

Lyra looked to the sky. It was getting dark, and she still hadn't seen Silver since that morning. Actually, it was strange… Why was it getting dark now? Lyra voiced her thoughts to Cynthia, and the woman gave a small chuckle.

"It's because we live in a more northern region. So our days are shorter," she said. Lyra thought about this. Why would it make any difference? She discarded it, though, and shrugged. The two girls walked another minute or so in silence.

Cynthia broke the quiet. "Do you guys have any place to stay?"

Lyra shook her head. "No. I think we were just going to stay in the Pokemon Center…"

"Nonsense! You guys have got to stay at my grandma's with me. I love her… but…"

"Soap operas get boring?" Lyra suggested, offering a fake smile.

Cynthia laughed. "Yeah. She won't mind, either. Let's go find your friends."

Silver had just walked out of the Pokemon Center when Lyra crashed into him. Both fell backwards, surprised expressions in their eyes, but both shrugged it off quickly. Lyra got up first and offered her gray hand to Silver. He took it gingerly.

Stefon walked out to see the two trainers hand in hand, and his face lit up. "Lyra! Your emotions are-"

Silver yanked his hand from Lyra's and clasped it over Stefon's mouth. _Shut up!_ He hissed.

Lyra shook her head. "Hello, guys. I have found us a place to stay. Cynthia says-"

"Cynthia?" Silver echoed. He remembered the name coming up in their conversations with professor Carolina.

"Yes. She says we can stay with her and her grandmother. Come on." Lyra turned away briskly, meeting Cynthia herself behind the corner.

Silver and Stefon had been talking with Carolina for hours. Lyra and Cynthia had long since disappeared into the guest bedroom. It was around midnight now, and Silver was getting very tired.

"Thanks for the room," Silver yawned. He gave a final nod to Stefon and Carolina, and he stalked off toward their room.

Professor Carolina's house wasn't that big, but not very small, like the rest of the houses in this town. She had her room, a guest bedroom, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a small study. Carolina herself, Silver, and Stefon had crammed themselves into her study.

Silver was dreading the moment he had to do what was needed to be done. He really was. He knocked softly on the bedroom door, to make sure no one was changing inside. When no reply came from behind the door, he opened it gently.

Silver saw Lyra sleeping on her half of the bed. The other half was occupied by- No it wasn't. Where was Cynthia? He looked around, but could see her or hear her.

She must be in the bathroom, he decided, crossing the dark room. On the floor were some extra blankets and pillows that Carolina had set out earlier. He grabbed a couple of the blankets and a pillow, and set up a pallet on the floor nearest the door. That was something about Silver – He had to be nearest the closest exit. Just in case something happened.

When he was satisfied, Silver sat on his blankets. The floor was cold and made of hard wood. Perfect conditions for thinking.

Think he did. He thought about what had happened since he and Lyra had fallen down that crater in the Earth. He remembered the ferocity of the water when they had washed through the warm water of the underground river. It had pushed and pulled them through the acidic currents that burned their skin and slapped their clothes together.

When they finally came to land, they were soaking wet and their skin was raw. Silver remembered grabbing Lyra's hand and never letting go during that. If he was going to die, he wanted to die with someone close to him. Close to his heart.

Lyra rustled in her bed, whispering something in her slumber. It was plain and audible enough for Silver to hear.

It was his name.

It was just a soft mummer, but Silver knew what had to be done, and it had to be done now.

He dragged himself off his feet. Part of him didn't want to do this. That was the sensible part – the part that told him it wasn't possible. The other part of him wanted to do this right now. Right then. That was the more stupid male part of him, like all 14 year old boys like him had.

Silver padded quietly over to Lyra, who looked grayer than usual. This only encouraged him to do what had to be done even more. He wanted that gray gone. Gone and replaced with the brown of her eyes.

There Silver stood, staring down at Lyra. She was asleep on the side that faced him, snoring quietly. He sighed. It was like God wanted him to do this, even if he didn't.

Silver brushed a small strand of hair from Lyra's face, kneeling down to her level. She didn't stir.

Silver gave into the grin that had been on this tip of his lips since he saw Lyra. Something inside him jumped up for joy. This is what it was all worth. Ever since he had met her and wanted to beat her in a battle.

After the small smile, Silver leaned over and kissed his rival softly on her pale cheek.

And then she woke up.


	16. Chapter M

**A/N: Hello, all! Before you read this chapter, let me say—congrats for getting this far. This chapter is written in Lyra's first-person POV instead of the view you have become accustomed to in this fanfic. If you don't want to read, feel free to skip this chapter. It's completely optional. However, I'm not sure if reading it or not will help you understand the later chapters or not, since I wrote this a while ago. So enjoy!**

They said I was too young to understand it. But I understood all too well.

"Why? Why are you leaving me? Leaving us?" my mother yelled. She didn't even bother keeping her voice low. She knew I was listening.

"You two are a nuisance! You won't get a job and that kid gets on my nerves! She's too smart for her own good!" he screamed back. I could smell his liquor scented breath from the top of the stairs where I was listening. Disgusting.

"I do have a job! I make most of the income in this family! You just gamble it all away, you pig!" I made a silent gasp at my mom's vocabulary. She never called anyone names. Ever.

I heard shuffling, and a loud thud as my mom fell to the floor. He had pushed her over again. I wasn't surprised, but I was when I heard my mother shriek and start crying.

I decided that it was the last straw.

I sneaked down the stairs as my father made my mother apologize for calling him a name. He was too stupid to look behind him when I slipped on the carpet. Even stupider when I climbed up the couch and towered over him.

"MEANIE!" I screamed in his ear, and his big clumsy hands flew to his ears. I was the maddest I had ever been in my nine-year-old life.

"SHI-" he screamed, but my hand flew over his mouth and nose. He bit hard on my fingers, attempted to grab me even, but I held on until he was screaming for air.

When I released my hands, he fell to the floor, unconscious. My mother stared at me, my father, and then me again. Her expression was pure terror mixed with her salty tears. She was a mess.

We left him there. Divorce papers came to our new house in New Bark Town a year later, and it was official.

We were finally rid of him.

After that night that I attacked Jim, he left for good. He pressed charges against me, and we even went to court, but I won, of course. So the divorce papers were signed and we officially then had nothing to do with that god-damned man.

But we didn't realize we were going to be alone.

The impact didn't hit until we had finally settled into our new home in New Bark. I was in a particularly good mood because I met a new friend that day, and he was a guy. I was so excited, because all the girls in my old neighborhood were such wimps.

Mom had plugged in our old TV and we were watching some movie. A re-run of an old sci-fi film that we both knew by heart. Mom had promised to buy us a new TV when she could. Right now, we were both eating some omelets on the floor, since our sofa wasn't there yet. Luckily, my peppy mood was able to block out the stale taste of the poorly-cooked eggs.

Suddenly, mom set her plate down. I glanced at her in question. She burst into tears.

"Lyra! Oh, Lyra! I am so sorry!" she cried. I panicked, scrambling over to her and embracing her in an awkward hug. My mother was the child instead of me. The only non-physical attributes that made her more mature was her ability to cook. And I just sucked at that.

"Mom, mom it's okay. He's gone now. He's never, ever coming back," I coaxed. She sobbed into my shoulder while I reached for the remote and turned off the cheesy movie. When the silence hit, I started crying too. My cheeriness was gone.

We sat like that for what seemed like forever, bawling into each other's arms.

"One more time?" Ethan pleaded. I didn't really have the energy to resist, so I nodded and that grin appeared on his face. I liked seeing that grin. It made me smile, too.

Ethan already had his shoes off, so he gripped the bark of the tree and started up like an Aipom. We had been climbing trees since we met, so scaling that tree was easy for both of us. I'd followed him up to our usual branch and sat back on the trunk.

Ethan threw his hat at me and fell back to where his knees caught on the branch and he hung upside down. I laughed a little, and there was that big grin again, which only made me laugh more because of how funny he looked.

"You know what?" he said, casting a glance at me.

"What?"

"This is our tree, right?"

"Yeah." I already knew where this was going. He started this conversation every once in a while, but he always chickened out. And of course I wouldn't do it. I wasn't as dumb as Ethan could be.

"And after climbing it for all these years, I think we should get to go to the top. Whadda say, Lyra? You wanna go to the top?" Ethan flashed his white teeth at me. I figured he knew how much I loved seeing his smile. And he knew it was hard to resist the grin when he was trying to get something he wanted.

"I'll do it if you do," I said, trying something different for a change. Why not be the daredevil for once?

"Aw come on- Wait, you will?" I started laughing again at his face. It looked so confused. Suddenly, though, it did not, and that grin was bigger than his head, I swear!

"Well, come on!" I said, putting my own hat next to his on the branch. I grabbed the trunk and started climbing. Ethan was on the other side instantly, and we scaled that tree in about five minutes.

Our branch was kinda low. Low enough to where you could jump down easily and not get hurt. And this tree was tall. Not even tall, but HUGE. So even though my best friend and I were fast climbers, that tree wore us both out when we finally found the highest branch.

Ethan reached the top before I did. Oh my God, the view from up here was amazing! Ethan used my shoulder for support and I used his. Our other hands were on some branches poking up. They wobbled, so we were both real nervous.

"Is it really that late?" I exclaimed. The sun was setting! Ethan gave a mumble that must have meant yes.

The sun was really pretty. It looked like a giant, shining orange. The sky didn't even look real; it was so many different shades of purple and blue and red and yellow. It was the prettiest thing I had ever seen in my life.

It's amazing how easy wind can knock you over.

A giant gust ruined the moment and blew Ethan into me. I lost my balance too, and we both began plummeting to the ground.

We would have screamed, but what was the point? Ethan grabbed my arm, and I grabbed his. I could feel the air hissing in my ears. We were falling so fast… We truly went up too high this time. And now we were going to pay for it.

But Ethan had other plans. His free hand reached up and grabbed at any branch that flew past us. After a heartbeat, I mimicked him. We both caught the same branch at the same time, and we jerked upward.

And we hung there.

I was the first to speak. Or maybe I was the first to get my heart to stop beating so fast. "On three… pull up…"

Ethan nodded. Thankfully, I wasn't hanging off of Ethan himself, and he wasn't hanging off me, otherwise we would have been overpowered by the other's weight. We were both supporting ourselves alone, connected by our arms, and we weren't about to let go.

"Three!" I whispered. I pulled up with all my might, and so did he. When we were settled on the branch, I buried my face in my friend's shirt and started crying. I felt the jolt of surprise run through Ethan's body, and then his arms wrapping around me.

I had never been so scared in my life.

I rolled over onto my back, kicking upwards. My socks flew off my feet and into the boy's face. He fell backwards into the mud, his hat flying with him.

We sat up and laughed. Ethan and I had been the best of friends since I had moved here. He was both mine and my mother's comfort for the past few months.

"Okay, so we're tied now. One more time! Starting…now!" Ethan tackled me to the ground, pinning me in seconds. I was too tired to resist, so I pretended I was dead and Ethan grinned in triumph.

"Ha!" Ethan cried. I started laughing. We were both covered in mud. But we didn't care. We were having too much fun.

I didn't realize that Ethan was still pinning me down until a different kind of grin came to his mouth. Instead of the stupid, triumphant grin, there was an innocent boy smiling down at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You look kinda pretty…" he said, getting up. I took his hand when he offered it to me, glad to get out of the mud.

"Huh. I'll make note of that. Mud makes girls pretty." I gave him a wry grin, and punched his arm. But he didn't look like he was playing. When Ethan was serious…he was serious.

"Really, Lyra. Your eyes are really pretty." Ethan looked down. I couldn't tell from where I was sitting, but I think he was blushing.

"Well, uh, thanks?" I shrugged it off, grabbing a wad of mud. I formed the wet dirt into a ball, and narrowed my eyes at my friend. "Wanna have a mud-ball fight?"

Ethan's face looked hurt, and it immediately made me drop my mud-ball. He leaned forward and caught my wrists. I felt my face go hot at the way he was looking right into my eyes. It felt like he was seeing straight through me and into my soul.

"Ethan…" I said, not really paying attention anymore. His eyes were kinda pretty too, and my face felt hotter. Ethan didn't look any different than I. And then he did something so surprising, so shocking, so astonishing, that it changed me forever.

The boy in front of me leaned into me and kissed my mud-stained cheek.

"LYRA!" the familiar voices called through the house. I had just opened my eyes when Ethan ran into my room and started jumping on the bed. Kris stood at the end of my bed, giving me a look that said _Oh boy_.

"What-" I started, bouncing up under the covers. "The-" Ethan grinned down at me, the one he knew I loved to pieces. "Frig?"

"Lyra, come on, what's today?" Ethan yelled, jumping off the bed and taking my pillow from me. My head fell on the bare mattress. I glanced to Kris for help, but she just offered a small sympathetic smile.

"Um… Wednesday?"

Ethan was silent- something rare for him. Then I was slapped in the face with a pillow. Luckily, it was soft. "It's your birthday!" he exclaimed.

My eyes tore from Kris and focused on Ethan, who was grinning again. The punishment for staring too long was another whack from my own pillow.

I rolled off my bed in my pajamas (which was a big T-shirt and some pants) and stared at my two friends. "Is it really?"

"Yes," my mother answered, walking in with a small cake. There were lit candles forming an eleven on it.

Ethan's face grew happy at the sight of the sugary pastry. "And your mom says that-"

Kris slapped her hand over Ethan's mouth before he could say anything more about my birthday present. She was rewarded with her fingers getting a good lick, and she made a face. I started laughing.

They sang happy birthday to me, and I blew my candles out. Kris and I took a piece, but Ethan stuffed his whole face in the cake. He came up with blue frosting covering his face – all you could see were the boy's dark blue eyes and his white teeth in the shape of a smile. Kris and I fell over in giggles.

My mother came back into the room with a small box. I mean, this thing was small. Maybe about the size of my palm.

Mom offered only a smile as to what might be in the tiny thing. Ethan and Kris both knew what it was, and both were bouncing up and down for me to open the thing. So I did.

Inside, there was a little note. And on the little note, it said:

Lyra,

Go to professor Elm for your first starter Pokemon. You have a long journey ahead of you.

I fell backwards, faceplanting into my pillow. I screamed. Ethan and Kris fell over laughing at my reaction. I couldn't see my mother's face. But I was too happy to care.

I was going to finally get to start my Pokemon journey!


	17. Chapter 16

Cynthia sighed, curling a golden blond lock in her finger impatiently. She should have been in her bed sleeping. But she couldn't sleep. While she had acted like it was no big deal, she had severely damaged her hometown's most popular tourist spot; the underground ruins. Not to mention almost destroyed the drawing of the lake guardians. So now, here she was, sitting on the roof, recalling the day's events. And now that she thought about it, today was really…weird.

Event 1: Her grandmother spontaneously called her and requested she spend the day with her.

Event 2: On her way to the scheduled picnic, she fell through the ceiling of the underground ruins. And landed on the cushion of a teenage boy.

Event 3: She didn't freak out about falling through the roof, but instead flipped out about a thousand-year-old picture.

Event 4: She made a strange new friend that seemed like she had no personality.

Event 5: There were now a bunch of teenagers staying in her grandmother's house.

But none of it was as bad as when she heard the blood-curdling scream come from the inside of the quiet house.

Stefon and Carolina were deep into conversation when they heard the scream. Then it was muffled out, as if someone stuffed the screamer's mouth. That's what made them run for the bedroom.

But not before the elderly professor grabbed her hidden shotgun from under her desk.

Lyra screamed. All she could see was red. No, pink. Now it was green! What was going on?

Every part of her body burned with hatred and anger. Hatred for her father. Why did he leave her and her mother alone like that? She could taste the blood from grinding her teeth in frustration. The memory that passed through her brain was too brutal for words.

Then it changed to sorrow. Lyra's fingers curled as tears started crawling down her flushed cheeks. All she could see were her mom's own tears dropping into the omelets she attempted to make that following morning. The morning following the night her father left. Her memory faded into a flickering wheel of colors behind her closed eyelids.

The next emotion that coursed through her veins was joy. She remembered her happiest moment with her best friend, Ethan. This memory had Ethan with his little hands pinning her down in a mud-puddle while she struggled to get up. But it faded as fast as the previous memories, leaving Lyra to embrace the next emotion.

Surprise overcame her twitching body. She remembered when Ethan woke her up on her 11th birthday, yelling ADVENTURE TIME! from that show they loved to watch. She was surprised when her mother finally agreed to let her go on her journey.

Finally, the last emotion swept into her mouth, causing her to shriek, but no sound came. Fear split her veins in two with the icy promise of death. The last memory was when Ethan had finally gone too far up the tree. This memory lingered, and Lyra relived the terrifying part of her life that she thought was behind her.

"One more time?" Ethan pleaded. I didn't really have the energy to resist, so I nodded and that grin appeared on his face. I liked seeing that grin. It made me smile, too.

Ethan already had his shoes off, so he gripped the bark of the tree and started up like an Aipom. We had been climbing trees since we were 8, so scaling that tree was easy for both of us. I'd followed him up to our usual branch and sat back on the trunk.

Ethan threw his hat at me and fell back to where his knees caught on the branch and he was hanging upside down. I laughed a little, and there was that big grin again, which only made me laugh more because of how funny he looked.

"You know what?" he said, casting a glance at me.

"What?"

"This is our tree, right?"

"Yeah." I already knew where this was going. He started this conversation every once in a while, but he always chickened out. And of course I wouldn't do it. I wasn't as dumb as Ethan could be.

"And after climbing it for all these years, I think we should get to go to the top. Whadda say, Lyra? You wanna go to the top?" Ethan flashed his white teeth at me. I figured he knew how much I loved seeing his smile. And he knew it was hard to resist the grin when he was trying to get something he wanted.

"I'll do it if you do," I said, trying something different for a change. Why not be the daredevil for once?

"Aw come on- Wait, you will?" I started laughing again at his face. It looked so confused. Suddenly, though, it did not, and that grin was bigger than his head, I swear!

"Well, come on!" I said, putting my own hat next to his on the branch. I grabbed the trunk and started climbing. Ethan was on the other side instantly, and we scaled that tree in about five minutes.

Our branch was kinda low. Low enough to where you could jump down easily and not get hurt. And this tree was tall. Not even tall, but HUGE. So even though my best friend and I were fast climbers, that tree wore us both out when we finally found the highest branch.

Ethan reached the top before I did. Oh my God, the view from up here was amazing! Ethan used my shoulder for support and I used his. Our other hands were on some branches poking up. They wobbled, so we were both real nervous.

"Is it really that late?" I exclaimed. The sun was setting! Ethan gave a mumble that must have meant yes.

The sun was really pretty. It looked like a giant, shining orange. The sky didn't even look real; it was so many different shades of purple and blue and red and yellow. It was the prettiest thing I had ever seen in my life.

But when that wind blew and knocked Ethan into me, no branch could catch us.

Lyra finally woke up, Silver sitting on Cynthia's part of the bed, hands on her shoulders. He was saying something, but Lyra couldn't understand anything. No, not even that, she couldn't hear anything period. Silver's eyes… Holy crap, he was crying. Silver didn't cry. Everything Lyra knew was a lie.

She felt her lips move into his name, and Silver's eyes flashed with relief. Lyra rolled over on her side to see Cynthia staring at her, and even Stefon and Carolina were there behind her.

Lyra was pulled up into someone's arms. Silver's, she supposed. Oh, how she'd wanted that for so long. They were warm, like someone shoved her into a fire. His whole body was shaking, and his salty tears soaked her hair as he stroked it.

Lyra felt alive again. Even though everything she had just lived through was… traumatizing, she felt like someone had finally given her a hug for assurance. And he had.

But was something was missing.

Silver finally let Lyra lie back down. His face was flushed of all color. Lyra smiled up at him, but part of her heart still felt empty. The part she looked at Silver with. She couldn't place the emotion.

What was wrong?


	18. Chapter 17

"So, what exactly happened?" Stefon asked, sipping his cup of coffee. In reality, he wasn't really one for the bitter liquid, but the caffeine helped him stay awake. He, Cynthia, and Professor Carolina had to calm down both Lyra and Silver sometime past midnight, and it lasted for hours. Everyone missed out on sleep.

Carolina yawned. "I image that pretty boy here picking night time was a bad idea. Moron."

"Wait, what?"

"Well, how long has she been like this?"

Stefon had to think. "Since 3 days ago. From what Silver told me, he and Lyra have been in the Sinnoh region for almost a week now."

"So she wasn't infected long. Hm." The professor cast a suspicious glance at her mug, as if she didn't trust it fully.

"I think infected is a bit of a harsh term."

"Perhaps. But what happened was is that Lyra wasn't awake when it happened, so she couldn't register it. Meaning, when she did wake up, it's like someone set off a bomb and it just exploded. I imagine it must have been painful to have to relive all those emotions so abruptly… And we don't know if she even got them all back."

Stefon raised an eyebrow. "Got them all back?"

"I never did tell you about my last patient, did I?" Carolina finally gave in and picked up her own cup. She gulped down some of it.

"Go on."

The older woman set her mug back on the table, leaning forward and lowering her voice. "We never were able to determine if he actually did touch Mesprit, but his girlfriend brought him to the Pokemon Center for healing. She knew something was wrong with him."

Carolina paused for a breath. "He had no emotion at all. I told him what you told me you suggested to Silver, and he got _some_ sentiment back. But it didn't really take effect until he really realized what was happening."

Stefon set his own mug down, folding his hands on the table. He began to twiddle his thumbs, looking up at the elderly woman. "When you lose emotion, do you lose your awareness too?"

"You could say that. It took a lot for him to finally realize that he should _react_ to everything his girlfriend was doing." Carolina stared at Stefon's twirling thumbs, eyes narrowing in hostility. Stefon failed to notice.

"So…we need to find out more about what the results of Silver's little scene?" the boy glanced up again at the professor, confirmation seeking behind the indication.

"Precisely."

Silver had fallen asleep the night before (or earlier that morning) on Cynthia's side of the bed. He was propped up in a sitting position next to his rival with his arm around her. His fingers were tangled in her hair from stroking it to calm her down, not mention himself. He needed something to calm _himself_ down too, and the others were no help to him at all.

Lyra lay with her back to her rival, eyes wide open. She had barely slept at all during the night. What she had relived again was too startling for her to be able to sleep at all. Her eyes were bloodshot, and there was no doubt that there were some dark circles under them, too.

When Silver had finally fallen asleep, Lyra began to think. What was that? She had gathered that she had lost her emotion from Mesprit. And now the mysterious conversations between Stefon and Silver made sense. But when Silver did what he did, she was filled with so many emotions that it nearly killed her.

Or did it?

Lyra had heard someone crying during all the chaos about someone who was dead. It couldn't be her, because she was still here. She could still hear her even breathing, see the door, and even feel Silver's fidgeting hand resting in her hair. Could her heart have stopped?

The trainer pushed the thought from her mind. She would have to question Stefon and Carolina later. On the other hand…

Silver had kissed her.

This part she had not figured out yet. She knew that emotion had come flooding back to her when he did so, but she couldn't understand why. Lyra only knew that it didn't bother her as much as it should. In fact, it didn't bother her at all. She had imagined it doing so much more than just waking her up.

It was like Sleeping Beauty, without the happy ending. This ending only led to more questions.

When she felt Silver shift next to her, she decided to get some sleep in. Lyra didn't want to worry anyone if she woke up looking as horrible as she did.

Cynthia walked out of the bathroom, running her hand through her long and messy morning hair. She had spent her night (or early morning) soothing two miserable trainers.

As Cynthia padded by the guest bedroom, she saw Silver and Lyra asleep on the bed. Lyra was under the green sheets, lying on the side facing the door. Silver was sitting on the covers, back propped up against the wooden backboard of the bed.

At first, frustration pricked Cynthia's mind. That was her bed. But then her face softened at the worry on the boy's face. Even she could tell he liked Lyra a bit more than usual. Lyra, on the other hand, looked troubled. Like she had a problem that she just couldn't solve, no matter how hard she tried.

Cynthia heaved a great sigh and continued down the hall to the kitchen, where she found the boy she fell on and her grandmother deep into conversation.

Professor Carolina looked up first. "Oh, hello Cynthia. I hope you slept better than we did."

Cynthia gave a humorless chuckle. "I wish. What are you drinking?"

"Coffee."

"Mm. Perfect." Cynthia went to the coffee maker and began making herself a cup as well.

Stefon glanced at Cynthia, his eyes sharp and hostile. He hadn't gotten over her falling on him. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Cynthia shrugged the tone off and walked over to the refrigerator. Out of it she pulled some cold croissants that she popped in the microwave. Then she took a seat in the remaining chair at the small table between Stefon and her grandmother.

"Stefon was telling me about your little… delay, yesterday."

Cynthia shot a look at Stefon, who looked pleased with himself. "It was an accident. I was heading to route 211, like you wanted me to. But I fell through the roof. Didn't I tell you that part was unstable?"

Professor Carolina folded her arms, looking at her granddaughter expectantly.

Cynthia sighed. "Fine. Sorry, Stefon. I didn't mean to fall through the roof."

Stefon grinned. "Apology accepted. Now, just one question…"

"What?"

"What was that song you were singing yesterday?"

Cynthia froze. She didn't know he had heard her singing. She swallowed her alarm and answered.

"My father taught me it. I sing it when I think of him."

Stefon's face turned a little pale at Cynthia's expression. She looked so sad. Her father must not be here with them.

The boy stood up, pushing in his chair. And he left the room.


	19. Chapter 18

Lance was the first to speak the following morning. They had continued past Celestic town on Lance's Dragonite, but Lolly seemed to be a little bit more injured than she acted, so they turned around and stayed in the Pokemon Center.

"Are you sure you're okay now?" Lance asked for the 11th time.

Lolly sighed. "Let me spell it out again for you. Y. E. S."

Lance was about to chuckle and reply, but suddenly, an angry shout rang throughout the Pokemon Center.

"I told you for the last time, runt! I want my coffee, and I want it now!"

"But sir! They don't serve coffee here like they did in Eterna!"

The man shouting was getting stares from around the room, so he stopped for a moment. His face was as red as a beet. The boy looked frightened behind his defiant eyes – but it only lasted a moment before terror took over completely.

Lance walked in front of the man just as he was about to retort to the child once again. His face portrayed no emotion, but his eyes were lit up with fiery rage.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but I think you need to shut up. People in the Hoenn region can hear you." Lance growled. He was a good 3 inches taller than the stubby man, and much more intimidating.

Stubby glared back, but it was no use. He was frightened by this stranger. His tiny legs took him to the door in less than a minute, and he was gone.

Lance sighed, his fierce demeanor relaxing. He turned to the boy, about to apologize for his cruelty and introduce himself, but he was gone.

Lolly had walked off toward her room. She didn't like seeing a violent Lance. She slipped off her shoes and was about to walk inside her room when someone tapped her shoulder.

Lolly whipped around with her shoes in one hand and her hand poised like a fierce dagger in the other. She struck the stranger in the stomach and was about to flip him, but he cried out for mercy.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that! PLEASE don't hurt me!" the boy cried. He had fallen to his knees at the force of the strike, and was now holding his hands up in defense.

Lolly glared down at him. Her small size was made up for by her skills in battling. Not to mention she was a red belt in tae kwon do. "Who are you?"

The boy opened his eyes, slowly putting his hands down and crawling to his feet. He didn't say anything when she demanded, instead watched her with cautious eyes.

"I said, who are you, dammit!"

"My name is Nat!" he squeaked. His eyes averted hers and stared at his shoes.

"Alright, Nat, what do you want?"

Nat didn't look up. "I want a ride to Hearthome. I…I don't want to go by myself. Are you going to…?"

Lolly sighed (in relief). Nat was a bit taller than her, but she figured that he was maybe fourteen. Guys were always taller than her; she was teased for looking like she was 13 when she wasn't. He was wearing a black-and-white checkered jacket with some jeans. His eyes were blue-green and his hair was light brown. He looked like your average trainer.

"We are heading that direction, yeah. If you can stand to be in this town for one more day. My name is Lolly." Lolly said, a smile creeping onto her mouth.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Lance walked into the room, freezing in his tracks at the sight of the boy.

Nobody said a word.

Lolly spoke up. "He wants to go to Hearthome. He's coming with us."

The Champion did not look happy, but he nodded. "My name is-"

"I know who you are," Nat said simply. He looked up at Lance with a determination in his eyes.

Lance grinned. He was beginning to like this kid.

"I think it would be best if our Pokemon got some exercise. Let's battle!" is was Cynthia had said. She had even explained the rules of the double battle, pairing herself up with Stefon. Of course she had done it on purpose, so Lyra and Silver would have to be together. Cynthia even knew how awkward it was going to be.

So now they were here in the front yard in the makeshift battlefield. Professor Carolina sat on the small bench outside her house, watching and judging the fight. Stefon and Carolina stood ready on one side of the field while Silver and Lyra stood awkwardly on the other side.

"A party of six is allowed!" Carolina shouted. "No switching! Healing your Pokemon is also prohibited! When all of one team's Pokemon are fainted, the battle is over and the other side wins! If we are clear with about this…" she glared out at the two teams, then brought her hands down, "begin!"

Simultaneous flashes of red appeared before the field as Lyra released her Umbreon, Silver released his Sneasel, Cynthia released her Milotic, and Stefon released his Luxray. The first shouting commands were shot, and the adrenaline of battle set in.

Silver leaned closer to Lyra after commanding Sneasel to go in for a faint attack on the Luxray. "Okay, so we have a Milotic and whatever that thing is. It looks like an electric type to me. So electric and water against one dark and a dark and ice."

Lyra grimaced. "I'm going after that Milotic. Umbreon, use Mean Look!"

Umbreon leaped forward and shot a terrifying glare at the Milotic, causing it to freeze in place for about 10 seconds. Then it shook it off and continued on with its Aqua Ring.

Silver stared at his rival. "What was the point of that? There's no switching allow-"

Suddenly, Sneasel cried out as Stefon's Luxray used Iron Tail. The deadly aim of the tail slammed into Sneasel's face, making him fly backwards. He slid pathetically to his trainer's feet.

Silver snarled at him to get up, and that he did. Sneasel got on his feet again (with one of his eyes closed from the hit) and glared at the Luxray, who seemed to feel nothing from his previous faint attack.

"Luxray, use Iron tail again on Sneasel! Take it out!" Stefon shouted, and Luxray charged.


	20. Chapter 19

When that Luxray charged, Umbreon jumped in front of Sneasel and deflected it by using Mean look again. Luxray froze in place.

Silver and Lyra saw this window of opportunity. "Sneasel! Use Shadow claw!" his trainer shouted.

Umbreon jumped out of the way of the deadly claw just in time to see Milotic ready an ice beam. Umbreon was smart; he knew that Sneasel wouldn't be badly affected. He also knew, though, that that ice beam was going to hurt if he didn't get out of there. Come on, Lyra, next command…

"Umbreon! Meet that ice beam and counter it with psychic!"

The ice beam met the ground before it touched Umbreon. Suddenly, Umbreon was running up the ice as it froze. His eyes closed in concentration for only a moment before he unleashed the psychic power.

Milotic was already beginning another ice beam when Sneasel came out of nowhere and used Shadow claw, interrupting the move. Lyra hadn't heard the command, but the look on her partner's face said that he had.

The rings around Milotic's body began to glow, and Milotic wobbled to a standing position. It didn't last long, because then she fell over and didn't get up.

"Milotic is unable to battle!" Carolina boomed.

"Luxray! Use Return on that Sneasel!"

Luxray howled, and darted toward Sneasel. Silver reacted too late with his command to dodge it, and Sneasel fell to the ground.

"Sneasel is unable to battle!" said Carolina. Two flashes of red light appeared as Sneasel and Milotic returned.

"Umbreon, use Psychic on Luxray! Avenge Sneasel!" Lyra demanded. All she felt was the heat of battle. It compelled her to keep going.

Umbreon didn't move, instead closed his eyes. Luxray began to charge again at lightning quick speeds for another Return, but Umbreon's eyes snapped open and Luxray was propelled backwards. He slammed into the bench the Professor sat on. She appeared startled before she called that Luxray was unable to battle.

As soon as Luxray was returned to his Pokeball, three new Pokemon were sent out. Silver's Golbat, Cynthia's Spirittomb, and Stefon's Blaziken appeared out of red lights.

Immediately, Cynthia commanded Spirittomb to use Silver Wind on Umbreon. Umbreon stood his ground, but it looked like he was in serious pain against the piercing wind. Stefon's Blaziken used Shadow Claw right after that, and Umbreon fell over. Carolina called him out.

Lyra did not feel the familiar urge to run out to her Pokemon when they fainted. Instead, she silently made Umbreon return to his Pokeball, and released Gyarados.

The sudden appearance of such a big Pokemon startled the other trainers and Pokemon for a second before Stefon called for Blaziken to use brick break on the giant serpent. Cynthia told Spirittomb to follow up with psychic. Gyarados howled at the moves.

"Golbat! Use Air cutter on that Blaziken!"

"Gyarados! Use Water Pulse on Blaziken!"

"Spirittomb! Use Dark Pulse on Golbat!"

"Blaziken! Use Stone Edge on Gyarados!"

"STOP!"

All the Pokemon simultaneously stopped. Trainers, too, to see where the source of the interruption came from. No one was expecting who or what they saw, but when they did see them, their mouths dropped open.

"Lolly!" Silver and Lyra gasped. Lyra ran forward and tackled her with a hug, which was met with by a staggering girl.

"Where's Barry?" Lyra immediately asked. Lolly didn't answer until she had caught her breath. "He's back in Eterna with my dad."

Silver looked up at Lance; A tall, pale skinned man with dark red hair like his own. He glared up at him, and Lance glared down. This continued for about 5 seconds, and then Stefon saw him.

"You… you're the champion…" Stefon whispered.

Lance offered a friendly smile before turning back to Silver, who had gone to stand by Lyra. And then he remembered his business.

"Silver, Lyra, I need to talk to you."

Palmer was having a panic attack. "She did _what?_"

Barry pretended to act as surprised as his dad. He knew exactly where his sister was and with whom. And as soon as that thought entered his head, his dad seemed to hiss: "And she's with _that boy_?"

"Sir, please calm down. Let's go somewhere else. We don't want the other patients to be disturbed-"

"But how was she able to get up? She was sick! Bed-ridden! How-"

"DAD!" Barry yelled as he pulled his dad down to his level to look him in the eye. "Calm down!"

The officer and nurse talking to them just blinked. The nurse offered a reassuring smile. "Um… Follow me, please."

Barry knew instantly this wasn't going to go over well. His dad was just as energetic as he could be, and he didn't like waiting for answers. Plus he never liked Lance. Lance always seemed too old for Lolly, even though it was only a 4 year difference. He, personally, thought his dad was being hypocritical, considering their mom was three years younger than his dad.

Well… they were. Before they split up.

No one knew why Nat wanted to go to Hearthome City. It was a giant city with concrete-roads filled with people from across the regions going to the Contest Hall, sure, but it was a trashy city, too. Amity Square was covered in droppings from purses and the city itself was an entire different story.

Yet, people there still loved being there weather they came for the spotlight of the Contest hall or the beautiful scenery of Amity Square.

But no one seemed to go to the gym anymore.

"You know, dahling, I wouldn't stay here all day if it were not for you. It gets terribly booring here." Fantina's words seemed to roll off her tongue. Her words were drenched with a French accent.

"Yeah! But when are you going to do another contest? It's been almost a year!" the girl sitting next to her asked. Her eyes were wide open and her entire body seemed to vibrate with energy.

Fantina noticed her hyper disposition and chuckled. "All in good time, my child."


	21. Chapter 20

"How long are they going to be in there?" Cynthia whined. She let her head fall on the table dramatically. Patience was not one of her virtues.

Lolly shrugged. "I dunno." She glanced to Nat, who had his head down. He didn't seem to talk much.

For the past hour, Lance, Lyra and Silver had locked themselves in the guest bedroom. Silver and Lance seemed to yell a lot, and then Lyra's shrill yelps would calm them for a moment. Whatever they were talking about didn't sound fun.

Stefon had left a while ago to go pick up the food they had ordered. It had been a while since he left. Cynthia had asked about his whereabouts, and Lolly suggested she call him, but no one knew his Pokegear number.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Silver came storming out. His hands were balled up into fists at his sides, and his eyes could have probably shot lasers they were so red. Lyra came soon after that, calling: "Silver, wait!"

Lance came out with a smug expression. He glanced at Lolly, eyed the chair next to her, and sat down.

No one said anything.

Finally, Nat of all people looked up and asked: "What was that?"

Lance laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Well, I gave them both a lecture."

"On what?" Lolly asked. Her blond hair fell in her face, concealing her concern for the two 'lectured' teenagers in her eyes.

"On how to be responsible."

"Responsible? Young man, if I eavesdropped correctly, you should be the one ashamed of yourself!"

The whole table turned around to look at Professor Carolina, who didn't look like the happiest camper in the world. Lance was about to retort, but then Stefon burst into the house.

"The Chinese place… got our order mixed up, so I said screw it and went and got us doughnuts!" Stefon sounded exhausted, but he held up a doughnut-bag triumphantly with a stupid grin on his lips.

"Doughnuts… for… dinner?" said Nat, who sounded terribly confused. He was dismissed as Lolly darted across the room for the bag. She snatched it from Stefon in a child-like burst of energy and ran across the house laughing maniacally. "MINE! ALL MIIIINE!"

"Crap, why doughnuts of all things? You do not give Lolly doughnuts!" Lance sighed irritably. He ran after her.

Everyone just stared.

"Silver, c'mon, slow down, will you?" Lyra gasped. She stopped and rested her hands on her knees, her hat blowing off her head. It was already dark outside. The light from the sun was growing dimmer. "Dang, these days are short. No wonder, I guess." She started chasing after her hat.

Silver continued going until he was well inside Route 210. He couldn't face Lyra. Not after what had been said in that room. He didn't know if he could even look at her without getting angry. Stupid Lance. Damn him. He hoped that when they got back to Johto, Lyra would kick his sorry ass.

He climbed down the steep slopes to the water, and then just sat there, closing his eyes. Water always calmed him. He would have had a water-typed starter, had he known what was in each Pokeball when he stole his Typhlosion. Or, Cyndaquil, at the time. That was when he first met Lyra…

"Silver?" a small voice came from behind him. Damn, how did she find him down here? He figured the bridge would conceal him…

Lyra approached him cautiously, her hat clenched tightly in her tiny fingers. "Are you okay?"

Silver didn't answer, only sighed and waved her over. He knew this was going to happen. Of course it was. Lyra sat down next to him. Immediately, her shoes were off and she dipped her feet in the water. It was cool and soothing.

Neither of the two said anything, just enjoyed the water and the sound of the wind and the nearby waterfall. Lyra yawned and leaned on Silver's shoulder just the slightest. Silver didn't seem to notice. Or maybe he just didn't care.

"Silver, what he said in there is rubbish." Lyra said. She glanced up at his face for a reaction, but it was emotionless. "You do care for your Pokemon. I don't know why Lance won't accept that…"

"How do you know?" Silver said quietly. He shifted just the tiniest bit to where he could put his feet in the water too.

"Because I just do. You look at your Sneasel with so much care though… is he really special?"

Silver didn't answer, so Lyra continued. "My Umbreon is really special to me because my grandfather gave him to me as an Eevee." She paused. "If I had known better, I would have evolved him into a Glacion. When he evolved… I thought I had killed him."

Her rival stifled a laugh, which made Lyra laugh because she could feel his body vibrating. "So what's so special about your Sneasel?"

"My mom gave it to me before she left," he sighed. The vibration coming from his body stopped altogether, and Lyra noticed the more-sullen tone coating his voice. "She divorced my father after finding out…"

He stopped. "Find out what?" Lyra urged.

Silver sighed again. No point in hiding it anymore.

"That my dad was Giovanni, the boss of team Rocket."

Lyra sat up abruptly. "What?"

"Lyra, please don't judge me by who my dad is. I am nothing like him. He is a coward that needs other cowards to protect him. I'm not lik-"

"I know, Silver." Lyra stopped him. "That's why we have to stick together."

Stick together… what? "What do you mean?" He turned to look at her face, and he was greeted with a frown and almost-glaring eyes.

"Do not judge me for what I've done, okay? I've only told Ethan this before, and he didn't talk to me for three days." She whispered. The world seemed to get quiet, as if the waterfall and the night-creatures wanted to know too.

Silver blinked. "Um… okay…"

"When I was 9, I almost killed my dad."


	22. Chapter 21

"LOLLY! DON'T YOU DARE EAT ALL THOSE DOUGHNUTS!"

"I CAN EAT THEM IF I WANT TO. THEY ARE THE PRECIOUSSS."

"AND OUR DINNER. NOW, COME OUT BEFORE DRAGONITE BREAKS DOWN THE DOOR."

"He will do no such thing! That is my door and if you break it, you are paying for it!"

Stefon sighed. This had gone on for a full ten minutes. He and Nat seemed to be the only ones that had noticed that Lyra and Silver were gone.

"QUIET, OLD LADY. LOLLY, GET OUT HERE."

"NE-BAR. THEY BAR MY DOUGH-DUTS."

"YOU'RE NOT EATING ONE, ARE YOU?"

"NYOO!"

Suddenly, the cries coming from Lance stopped, instead turning into yelps of pain. Carolina marched out with Lance's ear held firmly in her hand. "Shut up, you incompetent child!"

Nat, finally fed up with all the bickering, marched over to the locked door. He knocked lightly on the door, asking if he could come in, and the door opened. Lance watched in awe as he walked in and out with Lolly and the doughnuts. He grabbed one from the bag, nibbling on it, and then tossed the bag to Stefon.

Lolly stuck her tongue out at Lance, who looked as stupid as he felt. He should have known that just talking would have worked… Carolina let go of his ear and went for a doughnut herself. Lance dropped to the floor with a thud!

Silver and Lyra snuck into the house during the commotion, and separated. Lyra went to Lolly and Cynthia, who were enjoying their doughnuts, and Silver went to Nat and Stefon.

And thus, life continued.

"I…I had a vision," Fantina blinked. The gym was long-closed, considering it was late outside, but he and her friend continued talking in the back room.

"A vision?" her little guest cocked her head in question. She knew Fantina had ESP, like Morty in the Johto region; many trainers who specialized in ghost-typed Pokemon had the talent. It was the reason they specialized in the type, such as a water-typed trainer excelling in swimming or a grass-typed trainer loving the earth. It was just natural. But visions were more a psychic typed trainer thing…

"Yes… There will be three boys, two who look and act their age, and one who denies immaturity, but is supposed to be a man. Then there shall be two girls, one who is her age, and one who will look younger…" Fantina looked at the ceiling. She was already in her imported silk night-gown. Her purple hair was taken down from their typical buns, and her gloves had been removed. She almost looked like a different person.

"What about these people?" the girl asked. She seemed to drink in Fantina's words as she spoke.

Fantina didn't say anything, just smiled. "They have been on a long journey, and it ends here."

The girl just nodded, knowing Fantina wouldn't reveal anything else. She knew she would want it to be mysterious.

Fantina glanced over at her friend. "You should get home, dahling. It's getting late." 

"Alright, now that dinner is over, we need to make sleeping arrangements."

Carolina's voice sounded over the loud chatter of the younger people. They all looked up at her.

"Boys, you will be in the guest bedroom. Girls, you will be in my room. I'll sleep on the couch. Now, go to bed. I want you out of my house tomorrow. This young man," she gestured to Nat, who went pale, "needs to get to Hearthome, so get a good night's rest."

Before anyone could say anything, the girls squealed. "SLUMBER PARTY!" they cried, running back to Carolina's room. The guys just stared after her.

"Well, alright then. Dismissed," she shrugged, striding off toward the bathroom.

"…What do you think they're doing in there?" said Stefon. He and the guys had been playing Gamecube (who knew that Carolina liked video games?) for the past half-hour. Silver and Stefon were tired of Lance winning every game of Super Smash Bros Melee (again… fighting games and Professor Carolina? That woman has some weird secrets…)

"Who?" Lance asked. He was eating a doughnut that he had stowed in his jacket. His Charizard's pokeball sat next to him, awaiting its owner's return from his midnight flight. If Charizard didn't get out every once in a while… Well, it was a lesson that Lance had learned.

Stefon rolled his eyes. "The girls, blockhead."

Silver wasn't really paying attention. His thoughts rested upon the conversation Lyra and he had earlier…

I couldn't say anything. Lyra…trying to kill someone… No, she didn't and couldn't. "No you didn't."

She looks at me, dead serious, and repeats what she said a second ago. When she withdraws her feet from the water and held them to her chest, I knew she wasn't joking.

"Are you going to tell me why?" I ask. I'm trying to make my voice gentle, but it's hard for some reason.

Lyra only stares forward, but I can see tears silently forming in her eyes. Suddenly, things get really awkward. She buries her face in her knees and starts crying. I, not sure of what to do, embrace her shaking body.

Lyra cries into my chest, but I'm not focused on that. She has never been this close to me before, and I can feel my body heat up. Ugh, you asshole. She's crying and you're focused on that.

"Silver, I almost suffocated him. He was b-beating my mother, eating our f-food, gambling our money away… But that doesn't give me a right to k-kill him!" Her sobs are noticeable now, and it seems as if she's shifted to where she's almost in my lap.

I pat her back without thinking, whispering: "We're messed up people."

I feel her nod into my shirt, and we just sit there.

Alone…

"Silver?"

Silver looked up suddenly. They were staring at him. "Hey, are you alright?" Stefon asked. His face was full of concern. "You're as pale as a ghost."

"Uh, yeah. I wasn't paying attention, sorry. What are we doing?"

Lance gets a stupid, childish-yet-evil grin on his face; something Silver thought he would never see on Mr. 'Oh-so-mature.'

"We're going to go crash a slumber party."


	23. Chapter 22

Carolina wasn't doing much. After changing into her nightgown, she had gone to her bedroom (to find the girls in an intense pillow-fight) to get some extra sheets for her bed on the couch. Now she lying down, staring at the ceiling, and wondering about the situation the kids seemed to be in.

Her granddaughter had come back to see her, like she promised she would, but she was shirking her duties as champion by doing so. Carolina was going to tell her to return when they had that picnic that day… but then Lyra, Silver and Stefon showed up.

How could she turn them down? Especially since Stefon had that Rotom… a chill went down her spine when she thought about all the properties of that Pokemon. If she was young again, she would go catch one for herself and study it…

Back to the subject… She was going to have them leave tomorrow anyway, but then Nat, Lance and Lolly showed up. She liked Lolly and Nat. But the red-head... thinking he was some hot-shot-know-it-all. She disliked him from the start, and would be glad to see him go.

Little did Carolina know that the guest bedroom door opened while she was thinking to herself. Four boys sneaked out of the room and tip-toed down the hall.

Nat had objected, sure, but that wasn't stopping his curiosity, not to mention the impulses. Silver had objected too, but Lance and Stefon had 'convinced them.' (With or without Lance's Charizard would be a mystery that stayed in that room…)

Silver had a background of sneaking into places, so he had no problem opening the front door and closing it quietly behind him. The moon shone dimly, giving him just enough light to sneak around the side of the house and not be seen by anything. His goal was the window to the girl's room.

Inside, Stefon stationed behind a table in the hallway to listen to the chatter while Lance hid in the bathroom connecting to the girl's room. Lucky Silver got to listen from the girl's window. Nat may have agreed to the 'mission', but he refused to leave the room.

So it was agreed that he would stay in the room to cover for the others just in case someone came in there. Someone to look after home base, you could say.

Everything was set, and all the guys had left to do was the waiting.

"Damn it, Cynthia! That's cheating!"

"All is fair in love and war, Lolly."

"Speaking of love… I sense that two people I know are in it! And they're in this room!"

Lolly sat up from her pallet on the floor and glared at Cynthia in hers. They had turned out the lights a moment ago, and now they were using only the moonlight to whisper to each other in the dark. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lyra sat up too. She hadn't taken part in anything after the lights went out. She was thinking about the conversation with Silver earlier that night. "What are we talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Cynthia seemed to purr with her words, and if you could see her face, you probably would have seen her impish grin.

"Uh, I don't." Lyra chuckled awkwardly, causing both the girls to stare at her with confused expressions.

"Hon, we both know you like Silver. It's pretty much the reason you're traveling with him, right?" said Cynthia.

When Lyra continued to look puzzled, Lolly smiled. She shifted over to Lyra's side and took her hand in comfort. "You remember what I said back at the haunted mansion? Doesn't it work the other way around?"

Cynthia continued grinning, saying something before Lyra could answer. "Oh, Lolly, you aren't exactly out of this yet. Yoooou like-"

Suddenly, Lolly had her hand over the blonde's mouth and her face did all the talking. Lolly even resisted the urge to recoil backwards when Cynthia licked her palm. "Who I like is my concern, okay? There's too much crap going on to be worrying about me right now, okay?"

Lyra sat back down on her pallet, a new thought on her mind. Why couldn't she recall the feeling she got when she was around Silver? And why couldn't she help questioning it?

Cynthia broke free from Lolly's hand and gasped dramatically, as if she couldn't breathe. "THAT IS NOT THE WAY YOU SHOULD BE AROUND THE SINNOH CHAMPION. YOU LIKE-"

The hand came down on Cynthia's mouth again, but this time, Lolly tackled her. Then it was a full out war over who would win.

Suddenly, something fell over in the bathroom, and all three girls stared at it as if it were a bomb.

"Oh, crap," Lance squeaked. He was out the door as soon as the shampoo bottle fell over, and was rounding up everyone else. "ABORT MISSION. ABORT MIIIISION," he whispered urgently into the dark.

Stefon was up instantly, and was running as quietly as he could to get to the bedroom. "But what about Silver?" he hissed back.

Lance shrugged as they shut the door to their room behind them. He never liked the kid anyway; let him be murdered by a bunch of mad women.

Silver couldn't believe what he was hearing outside. It was like they just spilled out their secrets to each other. Why couldn't they do that to guys? He sighed. "Women are so confusing."

"You don't say."

The red-head froze, his breath caught in his throat as he turned his head toward the voice. He came face-to-face with the Professor. "Holy shit, you scared me." He sighed in relief, only to catch it when it was too late.

Crap.

"I TOLD YOU NEVER TO SWEAR!" Carolina exploded. She wacked him upside the head with only her hand, but it was enough force to send him flying out of the bush.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Silver whimpered.

Carolina's eyes flashed. "What are you doing out here anyway? I thought you had more respect for women, but now you're spying on them!"

She grabbed his ear, and nearly dragged him back into the house. Back to the hallway, going toward his room at first, but then they took a turn...

Into the girls room.

"I'm going to die." Silver prayed.


	24. Chapter 23

Lolly had darted into the bathroom as soon as the bottle had fell – to find the other door wide open. She gasped, crying out to her fellow females. "We were spied on!"

Cynthia and Lyra stopped dead in the pursuit of Lolly. "What?" demanded Cynthia. Lyra looked over at her due to the tone; Cynthia sounded like a different person.

"Girls!" Carolina's voice called. Lyra heard a _thud!_ The Professor chuckled as she closed the door behind her.

Silver stared at them in pure terror.

"What happened to the plan?" Stefon whined.

"It's just Silver. Let the girls get him – that will show him not to spy on them. Really. He should have more respect for women." Lance scoffed. He didn't even look at Stefon, due to his excessive game play on the GameCube.

Nat stood up, the look on his face showing he was not amused. "It wasn't his idea in the first place! You set him up to it!"

Lance paused his game to look at the furious boy. "And what are you going to do about it?"

The furious boy grabbed him by his shirt and literally pulled him up to his face. His eyes were red with anger, and his tone of voice had changed. "You. Go. Get. Him."

Lance chuckled. "What if I don't?"

Suddenly, Nat grinned (a look that would forever haunt Lance's mind). He held up a Pokeball, one that Lance knew too well. Then, his hand revealed 5 other Pokeballs as well. "You shouldn't play so much GameCube. It makes you distracted."

Stefon's mouth dropped open. "How did you get his Pokemon?"

Nat didn't answer, instead dropped Lance's collar and stuffed the red-and-white spheres into his pocket. "You'll get them back after we rescue Silver."

A nervous laugh came from Stefon. "I came up with a plan…"

"Let's hear it."

"Silver… what are you doing in here?"

The girls stared at him, and he stared back. The air increased in electricity as the silence continued. Of course Silver couldn't say anything.

The boys listened from outside the door, but they were hearing the silence too. It went unnoticed when the click of a Pokemon being released sounded faintly under the camouflage of breathing.

A yelp.

Carolina sat at her desk, staring at some notes. Her mind was in other worlds when she heard the boyish shriek, and the slam of a door.

"Oh no, oh no…" She said, standing up in her chair quickly. Her feet flew toward the door and her hands turned the knob to see a blur of sheets fly past.

"..."

The force and speed of the door knocked the boys over, a blur of something darting out, with a wrapped-in-a-sheet-Silver chasing after it.

The girls were laughing uncontrollably. Well, at least Lolly and Cynthia were. Lyra's expression told her thoughts of how this was unfair and that they didn't even give him time to explain himself before Cynthia released her Lucario and promptly stole Silver's pants.

All Silver could think about was how cold it was in Carolina's house.

A mother cried into her older sister's shoulder miles away.

"S-S-Suz-zie," she stammered, her face damp and pink. She had cried so much that tears no longer came.

The mother's sibling patted her back, stifling the urge to wipe away her own tears. Luckily the mother couldn't see them, or she would cry even more. "Hey, Tibby, he's fine. He's a strong kid, and he's got an absolutely wonderful team of Pokemon with him. If harm even glanced at him, his team would scare it off."

Tibby sniffled for the 100th time. "B-But he'ss sickly! My b-boy…"

"Hey, I told you, he's fine. In fact, the air is probably helping him. We've been keeping him in this stuffy house for months. He's been asking me about school and his friends and everything. He misses the real world." Suzie squeezed her tight in a comforting embrace.

Suddenly, the father burst into the room. He was excited – as evident from the big grin on his face – so the scene of crying women made him stop. Suzie glared at him, mouthing a malicious "What?"

The father gulped, and then opened his fist. Inside was a piece of crumpled paper with their son's handwriting on it.

Tibby had looked up when her husband entered the room, but now she flung herself across the room to see the mysterious note her son left.

They all sat on the bed and looked at it together.

Hey, Mom. Dad. By the time you read this I'll be long gone. I'm heading north. I may be sick, but I can't take this house anymore. I need to get out. I'll be back soon, and don't worry about me.

P.S. – Dad, don't forget about cleaning the fridge. I don't want to come home to a fungus-filled refrigerator.

They all simultaneously stared at the wall when they finished reading.

Suzie softened her gaze toward the father. "Matt, where did you find this?"

Matt looked away from the wall to say: "In his room, on the lamp. I can't believe we didn't see it before."

"So he's… okay?" Tibby finally wondered. Her tears stopped flowing, and she flopped back in exhaustion. "My baby's okay?"

Matt smiled. "Tabitha, you need to remember that he's our son. He's survived a lot of his disease, and even trained his Pokemon in the backyard when we told him not to go into the city. He's a great kid."

Suzie rubbed her sister's shoulders. "See? I told you."

Tibby was suddenly fascinated with the edge of the bed skirt. "But what if he's hurt? Or his Pokemon got stolen? Or-"

Suzie, tired of her sister's dabbling, took her sibling off guard by jabbing a nerve with her fingers. She immediately calmed down, and fell back on the bed.

Matt blinked down at his wife. "Is she unconscious?"

Suzie grinned. "Yup."

"…Why am I okay with this?" Matt questioned himself. Suzie shrugged.

"So do you think Nat's okay, for real?"


	25. Chapter 24

Along with several other children the following morning, Silver was not in the best of shape. He took a moment to assess his surroundings.

He was in an old professor's house; head drooped over his steaming coffee, eyes flickering to stay open even with the delicious-smelling fumes blasting in his face. They had all stayed up late the previous night. The earliest anyone had fallen to sleep was well over midnight.

Silver, foggy as his head was, thought about what lead up to this dreadful morning.

It all started with a battle. Or, what was going to be one.

_He heard a voice. Female, giggling with what seemed every syllable that poured out of her mouth. Lyra. His eyes automatically rolled, head turning toward the voice.___

_There she was, in all her Lyra-ness. Wearing that ridiculous marshmallow hat with the gigantic red bow and the overalls that complimented the shape of her body… Silver shook his head. "What are you doing here?"___

_Lyra seemed surprised when she whipped around. "Silver? Is that you?" She recognized his voice from all the battles they'd fought previously. All ending with the same giggly victor.___

_"No. It's Santa Claus."___

_Now it was Lyra's turn to roll her eyes. "What are you doing-"___

_"Hold it," His hand shot up, stopping her from asking her stupid question. His mind worked fast with an idea.___

_"What?" Lyra asked, glancing down at her Umbreon. The circles on Umbreon's body seemed to glow here in this dark cave. It was an unsettling sight when mixed with the glow of the red eyes.___

_Maybe, if he could beat her just once, he would be good enough to tackle the League himself. Really, he was only in here to train, but maybe… "Are you going to challenge the Pokemon league?" He asked abruptly.___

_Lyra folded her arms across her chest. "What's it to you?"___

_Silver scoffed. "You didn't see any real trainers on the way, did you?" He took a Pokeball from his pocket and clicked the button for full size. The feel of this one told him it was his Golbat's. "Man, they were all spineless!"___

_His rival's eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at?"___

_"Well, the fact that you have come this far means you're not one of them. You're a formidable opponent." The girl blushed, which made Silver blush, but he quickly covered it up. "But right here. Right now, I will crush you."___

_Before Lyra could return her tired Umbreon to its Pokeball, release her Dragonite, then muster a cocky grin before it destroyed Silver's Pokémon, the floor suddenly started to shake. Umbreon cried out in distress, circling through his owner's legs. She tripped over him, falling to the floor on her palms.___

_"What was that?" Lyra whispered from the floor. She struggled to absorb the shock of pain going through her body.___

_"I don't know." Silver said, looking into the deeper part of the cave. Then he looked down at his rival, offering his hand to help her up. "It was probably another trainer. Or an angry Onix or something."___

_Lyra stared at his hand like it was going to bite, but took it anyway. Umbreon cried out again. The cave seemed like it was vibrating. This was no Pokémon's doing.___

_"We need to-!" Silver stared at the girl as she sunk into the ground. His own feet felt shifty, as if the floor were a trampoline.___

_"Silver!" She screamed out. Her Umbreon was running around frantically, so Lyra returned him. She zipped her bag – something she never did unless she didn't want to lose anything because of a-___

_"Lyra!" Silver snapped to his senses and hurled himself at his rival, catching her just as the ground gave in. Down they plummeted.___

_Silver cradled the girl as they fell to their deaths._

Or so they thought.

Lyra sat across from him at the table, staring at him. More people were pouring into the kitchen for coffee. She didn't like coffee much herself, so she settled for some orange juice.

"You're thinking about Victory road, aren't you? You made that same face right before we surfaced." She, of course, was referring to the underground river they fell into after what seemed like a lifetime.

_Lyra froze when Silver pounced. They both fell in when he grabbed her shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as she screamed into his shirt.___

_The fell for 30 seconds, until the sound of water rushed up to their ears, and suddenly they were both submerged. They lost each other in the burning river, the current moving so fast it felt like it was ripping their skin away.___

_It took a minute to find each other again, to where they held on to the other's hand tighter than before. They refused to die alone.___

_Finally, it seemed to slow a bit after an hour of scraping over rocks, being held underwater for more than 30 seconds and almost losing their Pokemon more than once. Their hands had lost most blood circulation, and their eyes and skin were burning with acidic mineral water.___

_"Look, an island!" Silver shouted. Lyra would have smiled, but her face was paralyzed in fear of death. She was amazed Silver could speak at all.___

_They swam to this island, dragging their bodies up onto the cold, dryer floor. An entire five minutes passed before either one could muster words.___

_"Are… are you okay… Silver?" Lyra coughed. He stared at her with this one look…__  
><em>

The look she was giving him now.

"Yeah. Nice guess," he mumbled back. The memory wasn't a pleasant one, and he figured he wouldn't be able to go near caves for a long while.

"I never got to thank you."

He looked up. "Thank me? For what?"

She gave him a sad look. "For saving my life. You risked your life for someone you hated. So, thank you for that. I wouldn't be here right now if you weren't for you."

Silver propped his head up, almost glaring at her with strange eyes. "I never hated you, Lyra."

Before Lyra could process what he said, Lolly and Lance came from the hallway. Both looked as tired as Silver felt. "Hey. Nat should be back in a minute. Go get your stuff and let's get out of here. We're heading to Hearthome."

They stared at them. "Hearthome? Where's that?"

Lance spoke this time. "Southeastward. Nat's got something to do there and wanted an escort. Not sure why, though. He seems like a capable kid."

"Weird."

Cynthia and Nat walked in the front door. Cynthia didn't look nearly as tired as the others, but there were still evidence of dark circles under her eyes.

Nat held some bags of healing supplies for their Pokemon, reaching into one and tossing a couple of hyper potions at Silver and Lyra. "You guys ready?"

Lyra, after splashing some water in her eyes, making sure her bag was orderly, and some fresh clothes, smiled and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Same," Silver grunted, wearing his black vest and jeans from before. He could smell the detergent in them. Carolina had washed all their clothing that morning.

"Yeah, let's go," Lolly gave a friendly smile. While her head felt bare without her hat, she was ready as she could be. Her Ampharos sat beside her feet, waiting patiently to get out of the small, cramped house.

Stefon had just woken up, so his reply was a hearty yawn. He didn't seem to be a morning person. "Anyone know where Carolina is? We should thank her."

Lance, who had been ready for hours, just shrugged, but turned his head when a small "Here!" echoed down the hallway. She came bounding up as if on cue. Her hair was tied back in a bun. It looked slightly damp, as if she had just bathed.

"Oh. Well, thank you for letting us stay at your house, Carolina," Lance coughed. Lolly stepped in, giving the old professor a hug. The others mumbled their thanks.

Cynthia stared at the six kids, realizing for the first time they were leaving. And that she couldn't go with them. "Well, uh, bye you guys. Good luck getting back home safely."

Lolly opened the door and walked out, followed by the others. Silver was the last out, giving one last "thank you".

"Wait, boy."

Silver stopped in his tracks, looking back to the professor. "Yes?"

"You said you came from Johto, yes?"

"That's right."

"Good thing you're going to Hearthome, then. Right now there's a contest for tickets to the Hoenn region, but from there you'd be able to find a plane back home. Or you could always change the destination, if possible."

Silver blinked. Going home had been the last thing on his mind, to be honest. He was just as curious as Lyra when it came to this strange new region. "Uh, thanks."

"And Silver?"

"Yeah?"

She gave a knowing smile. "It'd probably be best to make your move on her soon, if you haven't already."

She walked up and shut the door herself, leaving behind a confused Silver. He shook his head before returning to the others.

They walked out of the little town. And as they did so, entered what seemed to be the thickest fog any of them had ever seen.


	26. Chapter 25

Each trainer seemed exhausted as they padded into Solaceon town, their Pokemon bounding in front of them in curiosity.

Unfortunately, none of their Pokemon had the move "defog". Lyra, Silver and Lance had never heard of the hidden machine, but Stefon and Lolly slapped their palms to their faces.

"I wish we could just fly!" Lance shouted out after half an hour of slowly crawling through fog. Lyra and Silver stopped in their tracks, staring at him with scared expressions. Lyra moved closer to Silver for comfort, as to say "Please don't make us go through that again." So the idea was dropped and they continued.

Nat was quieter than usual. He stared at the ground for most of the trip and mumbled to himself. Lolly could have sworn he said "doctors" more than once. He was also coughing more, as if he were getting sick. At one point, Stefon padded over and put his arm around his shoulder. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah. This fog is getting to my allergies or something," he smiled weakly in return. Stefon shrugged and they continued walking.

So now, as they stood at the entrance to Solaceon, each of the six trainers grumbled. It was only half-day, so they had to keep going on. "How far are we from it?" Lance asked at one point.

"Probably a mile, if that," Lolly answered, trying to keep her head level and the mood brighter with a cheerful tone. Her companions looked at her as if to say: "What the hell are you doing?"

"Good," mumbled Lyra. She had been sticking closer to Silver, mainly for comfort. The Pokemon were so different than the ones in Johto, the terrain… Now she was feeling homesick. She wondered if her mom had realized that she was gone.

Her face went white. "Oh my God," she whispered. Silver turned to look at her. "What?"

"Silver, all of Johto is looking for us."

He stared at her, incredulous. "Lyra, I knew you were sort of famous for defeating Team Rocket, but isn't that a little conceited…?"

Lyra laughed, but there was no humor behind it. "My mom. I used to call her ever other day-"

Silver snorted, trying to hide his laugh. He figured her reasons for going on this journey were to get away from her parents, like him. He didn't like either of his parents.

Lyra glared before continuing. "She's probably called the police, Silver. As a matter of fact, that earthquake in victory road probably scared some others too."

At this point, Lance chimed into the conversation. "She's right, Silver. There were police swarming around the sinkhole when I left."

The red-headed boy was silent, taking all this in. There were people looking for him. He guessed this week was "first time for anything" week.

Not long after this conversation, they came across a strange rock. "What's this thing?" Lance asked. He crouched down, poking the base of the oddly-shaped boulder.

Suddenly, Lolly shook. Whimpering, she ran to the nearest person to hide into their shoulder, which happened to be Nat. Lance stared up at Nat as if he had betrayed him.

Nat put his hands up in confusion. Lolly cried.

The group looked at her in worry. Stefon patted her back. "Hey, uh, Lolly? Care to tell us what's wrong?"

She only cried, seeming to forget where she was. Lance pried her from Nat's shoulder and held her himself. Nat thought about what could have upset her, and then—

"We need to leave," Nat said urgently, grabbing the nearest person and dragging them by their arm, which happened to be Lyra. The group left the rock hastily, wondering what just happened.

"What do you mean there's no spots?" Stefon asked the receptionist at the Pokemon center. After another half hour of walking, they had finally made it to Hearthome.

"I'm sorry sir," the lady said in a bored tone, "but the Pokemon Center is full. There are many people coming to town for the Contest in a few days, so they stay here."

Lolly, who had calmed down, was quiet. She couldn't shake the feeling that the thing… the thing from the rock… Suddenly, Lance's arm was around her shoulder. She smiled up at him, her face red. Why'd she have to go to Nat of all people? If she could redo it, she'd rather go to Lance…

Silver, Nat and Lyra stood at the back of the group. "Explain it again?" Silver asked. He was more confused than a Pokemon at the receiving end of a supersonic attack.

"That rock… It's possessed, in a sense. Usually you have to have "roamed with the dead" to even come in contact with it. Say you go underground a lot-"

"Go underground?" Lyra asked.

Nat stared at her. "Of course. Going underground is lots of fun." His eyes shone as he got into the subject. "You can find fossils and make secret bases and trade with the little traders down there for stuff. Once I found a-"

Silver put his hand up to stop him before he got any further. "Okay. How does going underground let you "roam with the dead?"

"Well, we tend to bury our dead, right?"

Both of the Johto trainers looked at him as if they just realized their stupidity. "Oh," Lyra smiled weakly.

"Anyway. Lolly either goes underground a lot… or she's been possessed by a ghost."

Silver and Lyra stared gravely at the ground, remembering the Pokemon Mansion. It seemed so long ago… but it had only been days. It was amazing that Lolly had recovered as quickly as she did.

"What?" Nat asked.

"Nothing," they said together, giving each other a sad look.

Before Nat could question any further, the rest of the group padded up. Stefon appeared as if though someone just slapped him in the face, and Lance and Lolly looked broken.

But the more Lyra thought about it, they probably all looked broken.

"We can't stay here," Stefon announced finally. "They're full up because of the contest. Where are we going to stay?"

It was silent for a moment while each member of the party thought.

Finally, Nat sighed. "I know where we can stay." The group stared at him expectantly, relief filling their eyes.

"We're going to my house. Come on—Before it gets darker."


	27. Chapter 26

Lyra watched as Nat walked toward his house. He looked nervous, as if there was something wasn't right, like a kid that just pushed their brother or sister over in the sandbox and wouldn't admit to it. Silver actually leaned down first and asked about it, however. "What do you think is wrong?"

"I don't know," she whispered back. She looked up to her companion, studying his features. He seemed concerned—something he would have never expressed back home.

The more Lyra thought about it, the more she realized how much they had changed over the past week. It seemed so long ago that she thought she hated Silver. She thought he would always be the bully that he portrayed himself to be.

Now he was a tall, handsome young fellow that she had befriended over the time they had been here, realizing he wasn't cruel or mean for no reason. She was glad to have him as a friend.

Silver had similar thoughts as well. He never realized that Lyra wasn't just some giggly girl that was air-headed and too emotional. She was really someone to be reckoned with—and a pretty one at that.

He frowned as he remembered Lyra losing her emotion. He learned the hard way that he appreciated it more with the giggles than not.

The group was silent for a few moments more as they walked up to a small house. Nat strode to the door, bringing his fist up to knock.

He hesitated. They held their breath.

Suddenly, the door flew open, causing everyone to flinch backwards. There stood a woman who looked to be in her late thirties who looked a lot like the boy standing in front of her. The others guessed it was his mother.

The awkward silence was so thick you could have cut a knife through it.

"Hi, mom," Nat mumbled quietly, fumbling with the end of his checkered jacket. He dared not to look her in the eyes.

The woman stared down at her son, eyes shining with tears. She collapsed to her knees, embracing her son as tight as she could. He looked teary-eyed as well, but he coughed and said: "Can I and my friends stay here tonight?"

By this time, a man appeared at the door, his eyes concerned at first, but when he saw Nat, they became as big as saucers. "N-Nat?" He stammered.

Nat waved to his dad, trying not to look at either of his parents. His mother mumbled something into his shirt, sounding a lot like: Where have you been?

The teenager sighed, whispering "I'm home" under his breath. He waved the group inside.

"I hope he's okay," Lolly mumbled absent-mindedly, staring at the wall. Lance glanced over at her sharply, as if offended by her words.

"Yeah," Stefon said, oblivious to Lolly and Lance's couple fight. "Who knew that he ran away from home?"

The group, minus Nat, sat in the living room on two couches facing a coffee table, trying to keep an idle chatter to keep the tiredness from swimming in their heads. They hadn't heard the verdict of if they could stay there or not, but they had been invited into the house for tea.

Lyra's mind was elsewhere as she stared at her Gyarados' Pokeball. She hadn't been released in days, having to stay crammed in a small capsule for hours on end. Lyra rubbed the top of the blue cover of the great ball, as if the reassure her that she would let her out soon. She silently promised all her Pokemon they would come out soon.

Silver watched her caress the Pokeball as if it were a child, wondering if this was what it meant to truly love a Pokemon. His thoughts were cut short; Nat's father strolled into the room with hard, unreadable eyes.

"You may stay here tonight," he began, "but please leave in the morning."

Lance stood up and bowed his head. "Thank you."

Nat lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't understand why his parents were so mad at him. The doctor clearly said that he was better… even if he had been coughing for a bit before he got here. But surely that was just pollen or something, right?

Nat had lung cancer. Or, did. When he smaller he had it from both genetics and second-hand smoking. His parents quit after that… but it didn't make it go away.

Chemotherapy was rough. He lost most of his hair, he was pale and scrawny… He didn't have many friends. He never went outside. But he never complained, because he knew nothing else for a few years. And when they got the news that he was going to live…

"But it wasn't my fault!" Nat yelled, punching the air. It wasn't his fault that they cooped him up for so long in this house. It had been almost two years since he left his home. He had a tutor and everything. Of course he'd want to go outside!

Tears welled up in his eyes. Great, he was crying. He swallowed. He should have never put his parents through that. They had already been told once before that he was going to die, but then he pulled through.

He sighed, blinking away his tears, when he heard a small voice.

"Nat? Is that you?"

The boy froze in his spot, staring at his window. It was slightly cracked open, the wind blowing at the curtains silently. He thought he was imagining it when he heard it again.

"Nat! Come on, open the window!"

So the trainer rose and opened the window, an irritable sigh escaping his lips. He knew who it was now.

A girl hopped through the opening, landing silently on her feet like a ninja, even if her jewelry jangled noisily. She stood up, coming up to Nat's nose in height. Her dark brown hair fell just in the small of her back, resting just where her pants came up to.

She wore some jeans and a large T-shirt, as if she threw something on without a care, which was probably true, Nat thought. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you came back, so I came to see you…" She gave a naïve smile, hugging him suddenly. "Where did you go without telling me or you parents, man? We were so worried about you."

Nat blushed slightly at her sudden embrace, but neither of them noticed it. "I had to get out. You know how long I was cooped up in here?"

"Two long years. I know." She stared at her friend with very light blue eyes. He stared back with his gray ones. They held that stare for a few moments, having a type of telepathic conversation.

"You could have at least told me," the girl continued. She crossed her arms, bracelets making little noise against the awkward silence.

"That was something I had to do alone, Abby."

"Mmhmm. I think Fantina is better at making excuses than you."

"Fantina? The gym leader?" The boy appeared confused for a moment, wondering what his friend could have possibly done with the gym leader.

"She's…" at this, Abby blushed and looked away, embarrassed. "She's been my friend while you were gone. A much better one, at that…"

"Hey! That's hardly fair," Nat whined. "I wasn't here."

"That's the point, asswipe!" Her hand met his forehead in a swift motion, causing him to stagger back. He said nothing.

"Anyway…" Abby rolled her eyes, taking a seat on his bed. "You brought some people with you. Tell me about them."


	28. Chapter 27

Even though the black-haired boy had slept on the sofa in the living room, it was the best sleep Stefon had gotten the whole week. He woke up on his stomach, arm draped over the side of the couch, his fingers just grazing the carpeted floor.

He looked over to Lance, who decided the recliner was a comfy bed. He was still asleep, his favorite cape draped over him like a blanket. Stefon grimaced when he remembered Lance insisting that he get one of the two extra blankets, and that Lance would go without.

Silver slept on the floor, parallel the coffee table and close to the kitchen door. He was where the other blanket went to. When Stefon asked if he wanted the couch, the red-head refused. He said he'd prefer to sleep on the floor. Stefon just shrugged, muttering "Whatever floats your boat".

Stefon stood up, stretching as he did. It was already light outside, and a clock across the room said 6:30 AM. Damn, why was he awake? He sighed, padding toward the hallway where he hoped a bathroom would be. He passed a partially open door, and couldn't help but peer in.

The girls slept in the tiny guest bedroom, Lolly on one side of the full bed and Lyra on the other. Stefon chuckled as he saw Lolly's leg and arm sprawled out on Lyra, who was hogging the blanket. They were clearly more used to single beds.

When Stefon came out of the bathroom, he saw Nat walk into the kitchen. The way he walked made Stefon wonder just what side of the bed he woke up on this morning.

Nat, of course, slept in his own bed that night. He escaped to his room as fast as he could after they got permission. While it wasn't any of his business what went on in his family, Stefon did get worried about his new friend.

Stefon paced after Nat, soon coming across him at a bright red toaster, waiting patiently for his pop-tarts. He looked up and saw Stefon, offering a weak smile. "Good morning," he said.

"Good morning. Are we allowed to have breakfast before we leave, or…?" He sounded hopeful.

Nat chuckled, but then jumped a bit when the toaster popped the pastries from the slots. He took them both with napkins and offered one to Stefon. "Can't answer that. But you can have this."

The black-haired boy took the steaming pop-tart gingerly, blowing it a bit before taking a bite. He had never loved a pop-tart so much.

They ate there in silence, wondering what the rest of the day would be like.

After splashing water her face, pulling on her clothes from the day before, and making sure her things were in order, Lolly head out the door of the house with her group. Minus one Nat, that is.

"We're going to go see if the Pokemon Center can spare a spot for us now," Lance announced, grabbing Stefon's arm and marching off toward the red and white building, leaving Lyra, Silver, and herself alone to wonder the city. They stared after the two, shaking their heads, but glad that they had Lance there to take care of business for them.

"What do you want to do?" Lolly asked. Silver shrugged, but Lyra's eyes sparkled. "I want to go see about this contest!"

Silver shuffled on his feet uncomfortably, making Lolly question what could be wrong, but she nodded and started leading them toward the contest hall.

The contest hall was a giant building to the north of the city, people bustling from inside and out the doors. An occasional announcement came over the large speakers in the corners of the structure. The trio slipped through the crowd, glancing at the televisions broadcasting some of the smaller contests taking place at the moment. The one everyone seemed to be talking about, however, was the big one coming up.

It was around the time Silver started complaining about the clamor level that a girl came bounding up. She had on a skin-hugging shirt and some jeans; complete with haughty bracelets on her thin wrists that seemed to make more noise than the people around them. Her lanyard with a badge attached told the group that she worked here.

"Hi!" she grinned. "Are you here to sign up for a contest?"

Lyra smiled shyly in return, shaking her head. "No. We wouldn't know anything about them to begin with."

The girl's eyes seemed to get bigger than they already were. "Don't know anything about contests? Are you kidding me? It's only the biggest thing in the Sinnoh region! How could you _not_?" She sounded hurt, as if their ignorance caused her pain.

"We're not from here," Silver said, taking the words from Lyra's mouth. "We're from the Johto region."

"The Johto—" Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "Then you're Silver and Lyra, right? And you must be Lolly. It's nice to meet you! I'm Abby. I volunteer here sometimes." Abby shook the confused trio's hands.

Lolly spoke up first. "How do you know who we—"

"Nat. We caught up with each other last night,"

They were silent for a moment, the sound of the crowd and the speakers drowning out their breathing.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," Lyra smiled. "Could you tell us more about the contests?"

Abby grabbed Lyra's arm, pulling her away from the middle of the mob of people with Silver and Lolly not too far behind. After stopping by the lounge to ask if Abby could take a break, they eventually made it out of the building and to a bench across the street from all the commotion.

"Sorry, I was getting a headache," Abby smiled sympathetically.

"You're not the only one," Silver said under his breath.

"A Pokemon contest is where Pokemon and their trainers compete against each other, like in a Pokemon battle. Except in a contest, it's for the best appearance and performance."

Abby suddenly looked up, narrowing her eyes at the approaching person. Nat came into view. He seemed to be in a hurried motion, but he still came head on toward the group.

"What do you want?" Abby called. "I'm talking to my new friends."

He didn't say anything, just stopped in front of her. She stood, sensing that something was troubling her friend. "What is it?"

He stared down at Abby, as if she just appeared, and whimpered a bit. Then he did something that astonished everyone there.

He leaned his head down, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.


	29. Chapter 28

"You shouldn't have said that," Tabitha said to her husband. She stared at the wall opposite the chair in the kitchen she sat in, tears welling up in her eyes. Yet her tone was stern.

"He needs to know. We had to postpone when he left, so it was now or never." Matthew massaged his temples as he leaned over the countertop.

"Why do we have to have to send him, anyway? We don't have the money and he clearly doesn't want to go…" She glared at her husband. It was his fault for talking her into this.

"We discussed weeks ago that he needed to go out into the real world again."

"And look what he did in return! He ran away from home! And I'm willing to bet that he would have done it had we told him he was going to boarding school!" Tibby's tears came dripping down her cheeks now as she tried her hardest to sound serious.

"It's the best we can do for him right now! I want him in a protected environment—not with that group he came home with!" Matt argued. "That red-headed one with the weird cloak looked like he was in his twenties! I don't want our son running around with some man!"

Tibby dropped her head over the table, her dirty blond hair hiding her face. Her husband stood up to console her, patting her gently on the back.

"I don't want him to go away. But if this is for the best…" Tabitha sniffled.

"I know, honey. I know."

Abby didn't know what to think when Nat kissed her. Her brain stopped working. Blank. Nothing at all.

What am I doing? she asked herself. I don't like him like that. She wanted to slap him back into his senses, ask him what the hell what was going on. But something stopped her.

The fact that she might have been enjoying his kiss disgusted her, so she told herself.

A second rolled by. Nat released her, staring at her with fear in his eyes. Abby snapped back into reality, her eyes asking what was wrong.

Nathanial took her wrist and pulled her to the other side of the contest hall, out of earshot of the other three bewildered trainers. As soon as they rounded the corner, however, Abby slapped him.

"Ow! What was that for?" he rubbed his cheek where the blood began to race towards.

"Oh, I don't know. Because of the fact that you just kissed me?" Abby's face was flushed pink, her face trying to be as serious and angry as possible.

Nat's eyes looked more hurt than his stinging face. "You mean… you didn't like it?"

His friend looked even pinker than before, embarrassment rolling over her expression. "I uh… that, that's not the point! Why did you assault my face?"

Nat laughed—something that made Abby even more furious. She stomped on his foot, causing him to flinch backwards. He let out another "ouch!" "Stop hurting me and I'll tell you!"

Abby folded her arms, impatiently tapping her foot.

"I'm uh…" Suddenly, it was hard to speak. He'd think that getting the courage to finally kiss the girl he liked would be easier than telling her he was going away again. Life was full of surprises. "I'm…"

"Well? Out with it! We have friends waiting on us!"

"I'm leaving again for boarding school." He took a breath after saying it, feeling a sense of weight being lifted off his shoulders. But he wasn't out of the water yet—now for the reaction.

Abby stared at her friend, dumbfound at the statement. "You're… what?"

"I'm leaving for—"

"I heard you!" She huffed. "But… why?"

"Apparently, they wanted me to get out into the real world. You know, before I went off by myself. And they already enrolled me, sent the deposit…" He shrugged, looking away.

"That still doesn't explain why you…"

"Because!" He yelled as his calm crumbled, "I like you! You told me you were moving next year, and we both know school is starting soon! I didn't want to regret anything. Anything." He glared at his crush, wondering why she couldn't grasp the logic behind this.

Abby couldn't speak. She mentally panicked when her body moved toward him, wrapped her arms around his torso, and placed her head on his chest. She felt shock run through his body for a moment as he computed what was happening, and then, she felt his arms return the embrace.

They stood there for a moment, enjoying each other's company, when the two trainers heard some shuffling behind them. Nat glanced from over Abby's shoulder and was rewarded with a flash of red.

"We're being watched," Nat chuckled. Abby unwrapped herself from Nat and turned around, a face of amusement apparent on her feminine features.

"We should get back."

Of course they spied on them. They were too curious not to. Lolly pulled Silver back at the last second, praying they hadn't seen them.

"They almost saw us!" Lyra hissed. Silver shrugged as a response, but then his eyes widened as he watched Nat and Abby turn the corner. Lyra whipped around quickly, face turning a rosy red.

"We did see you," Abby sighed matter-of-factly. But she was smiling. "We've talked it out, and we think it's best if we went back to the house. All of us. Where is the rest of your group?"

Lolly, who had been quiet at the back of the faction, spoke up. "Stefon and Lance were supposed to be getting us rooms at the Pokemon Center."

Nat nodded. "Alright. Let's go get them and meet at my house."


End file.
